Norman Lear shares words of wisdom on 100th birthday: 'The moment: Treasure it, use it with love'
Norman Lear celebrated his 100th birthday this week with a few words of wisdom.
The legendary television writer and TV and film producer reached the milestone on Wednesday. On Tuesday, one day prior to his birthday, he shared some advice about living in the moment.
In a video posted on Instagram, Lear recalled several memories of his work in Hollywood "as I sit here in this glorious part of Vermont, with my glorious daughter Kate Lear LaPook, who is holding this infinitely brilliant little cellphone camera that is photographing me."
"And I mean, my God, the miracle of being alive with everything that's available to us, and me turning 100 tomorrow. Do you hear me? Tomorrow I turn 100," Lear said. "That's as believable to me as 'Today I'm 99.'"
"I've been doing breakfast thoughts and I guess my breakfast thought at the moment... is the moment," he continued. "Every person who is seeing me now -- some are seeing me within months of my saying this, others are likely to see this years after I've said this -- but whenever all of you are seeing it, that will be the moment you're seeing it, as this is the moment I'm saying it."
"And what that means to me is living in the moment. The moment between past and present, present and past, the moment between after and next. The hammock in the middle of after and next. The moment: treasure it, use it with love," he concluded.
To celebrate Lear's birthday, ABC is throwing him a party. On Wednesday, the network announced that it would host a one-night-only celebration called "Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter," which will air on Thursday, Sept. 22 at 9 p.m. ET and stream the next day on Hulu.
Special guests will be announced at a later date, but if recent Lear co-productions like live versions of "Diff'rent Strokes" and "All in the Family" are any indications, it will be a star-studded affair: Celebs like Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Hart and Oscar winners Jennifer Hudson and Jamie Foxx all took part in the past.
"Norman's illustrious career is revered by so many, and we are honored to be celebrating his legacy with this special night of entertainment," Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment president Craig Erwich in a statement.
"We have been lucky to work with Norman on a number of projects over the years, and it's only fitting that his centennial birthday be marked by the biggest names in Hollywood raising a glass to toast, and perhaps gently roast, the television icon," he added.
For his part, Lear said he has "always believed music and laughter have added time to my life."
"I've seen a lot throughout my 100 years, but I would've never imagined America having a front-row seat to my birthday celebration," he said. "Even, this, I get to experience."
Lear has written and produced more than 100 shows in his lifetime and is known for shows like "All in the Family," "Sanford and Son," "One Day at a Time" and more. He also created several spin-offs of "All in the Family," including "The Jeffersons," "Good Times" and "Maude." Lear has been praised throughout history for tackling topics that were considered taboo at the time.
Lear has won numerous awards for his work. In 1984, he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.
Last year, Lear received the Carol Burnett Award at the 78th annual Golden Globe Awards, for "outstanding contributions to television on or off the screen."
Outside of television and film, the centenarian is a World War II veteran and has been politically engaged as an activist throughout his life.
The longtime writer and producer founded the progressive advocacy group People for the American Way in 1980 and is the recipient of numerous honors, including the National Medal of Arts and the Woody Guthrie Prize. In 2017, he was selected as a Kennedy Center Honoree.
