Ed Asner, a legendary actor who played Lou Grant on the sitcom "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and became Carl Fredricksen on Pixar's "Up," passed away at 91 on August 29.

As stated in the official Ed Asner Twitter account, his family said, "We are sorry to say that our beloved patriarch passed away this morning peacefully." The post also added, "Words cannot express the sadness we feel. With a kiss on your head - Goodnight dad. We love you."


According to Hollywood Reporter, Publicist Charles Sherman claimed that Asner died of natural causes in Tarzana.

Although it was not confirmed what became the cause of his death, some rumors followed his passing. They believed that Asner passed away due to a heart problem, per source.

Asner In The Entertainment Industry

Deadline reported that Ed Asner was born on November 15, 1929, in Kansas City. The actor started his career in theater and became a founder of the Playwrights Theatre Company in Chicago, a predecessor of The Second City.

Ed Asner had his first Broadway role for the 1960 production of "Face of a Hero" with Jack Lemmon. In 1957, he had his first TV appearance on anthology Studio One.

His best appearance that made him remembered by the public was his performance as Lou Grant on CBS' "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and its spinoff "Lou Grant." He played the same character in both comedy and drama series.

He also received the SAG Life Achievement Award in 2002.

Beloved, Carl Fredricksen

Asner also was a series regular on "Thunder Alley," "The Bronx Zoo," and Aaron Sorkin's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip."

Aside from receiving Emmy's for being Lou Grant, he was also awarded for his performances on two outstanding ABC miniseries. In 1976's "Rich Man, Poor Man," he became an embittered German immigrant, and in 1977's "Roots," he appeared as the sea captain who brought Kunta Kinte to America.

As most of the new generation may also recognize, he became the voice behind Carl Fredricksen from Pixar's 2009 movie "Up," where he was a 78-year-old widower who ties thousands of balloons to his house to fulfill a dream of seeing South America.

Aside from "Up," Asner' also became a voice actor in various shows including, "Joshua and the Battle of Jericho," "Spider-Man" series from 1994-98, "Captain Planet and the Planeteers," "Batman: The Animated Series," and more.