Ed Asner, the most decorated male performer in television history, has died at the age of 91.
According to a statement from his family, Asner passed away Sunday morning.
“We are sorry to say that our beloved patriarch passed away this morning peacefully,” his family said in a statement. “Words cannot express the sadness we feel. With a kiss on your head — Goodnight dad. We love you.”
Asner was the recipient of seven Emmy Awards, the most of any male performer in television history. He won five Emmys for his role as Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its titular spin-off series, Lou Grant. He also won an Emmy for his role as Captain Thomas Davies in Roots, and for his role as Axel Jordache in the mini-series Rich Man, Poor Man.
Beyond his work on-screen, Asner was an accomplished voice actor, beloved for his roles as J. Jonah Jameson in the 1990s animated version of Spider-Man, as Hoggish Greedly in Captain Planet and the Planeteers, and as Ed Wuncler on The Boondocks. His definitive performance, however, came in 2009 when he provided the voice of Carl Fredricksen in the Academy Award-winning Pixar film Up.
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Asner’s other notable film credits included playing Santa Claus in Elf, starring opposite John Wayne in the Western El Dorado, and as Guy Banister in Oliver Stone’s JFK.
In his later years, Asner made guest appearances in sitcoms including Modern Family, Dead to Me, and Cobra Kai.
During his lifetime, Asner also won five Golden Globe Awards and was the recipient of the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. In 1996, he was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame.
Just last week, Asner reflected on his life and career in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
