Ed Asner Dies: Actor Played Lou Grant On Mary Tyler Moore Show

LOS ANGELES, CA — Ed Asner, the beloved American actor who played the Lou Grant character on the 1970s hit sitcom "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," has died, Deadline Hollywood and others reported early on Sunday. He was 91.

Asner died peacefully while surrounded by his family, according to the report.

"We are sorry to say that our beloved patriarch passed away this morning peacefully," his family wrote on Twitter. "Words cannot express the sadness we feel. With a kiss on your head- Goodnight dad. We love you."

Asner was a liberal activist and philanthropist who is in rare company in playing the same character, Lou Grant, in both a comedy series (The Mary Tyler Moore Show) and its spinoff drama, "Lou Grant."

The Kansas City-born actor was the president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1981-1985. He had a regular role in various other sitcoms, including the short-lived "Thunder Alley" in the 1990s, as part of a career that spanned several decades. "The Bronx Zoo," "Studio 60" and "The Sunset Strip," are among the other shows he has appeared in.

He played Santa Claus in several movies, according to Deadline Hollywood, including the hit,"Elf." His 2009 role in the hit movie, "Up," earned him an Oscar nomination.

Asner voiced Carl Fredricksen, a 78-year-old widower who ties thousands of balloons to his house to fulfill a dream of seeing South America, in the movie, The Hollywood Reporter described in its obituary.

Asner won several Emmy Awards for his Lou Grant character. The character is described by The Reporter as the "irascible newsroom boss" of the legendary sitcom that's widely known as one of the most popular of the 1970s.