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Ed Asner Passes Away: Up, The Mary Tyler Moore Show Actor Was 91

Actor Ed Asner (Up, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lou Grant) has passed away at the age of 91. The Emmy Award-winner's celebrated 60-plus year career included roles on film and on the stage, but his television work would be what cemented him in the hearts and minds of viewers everywhere. Asner's publicist confirmed the actor was surrounded by family when he passed on Sunday, with the actor's social media account also confirming the actor's passing earlier today:

Here's a look at the announcement tweet from earlier today:

Asner would receive love from Emmys voters a number of times over the years, including three supporting actor wins for The Mary Tyler Moore Show, two leading actor wins & five nominations for Lou Grant, and two more Emmys for the miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man & Roots. In the 1990s and 2000s, viewers were treated to Asner's work in a number of series, including Hearts Afire, The Trials of Rosie O'Neill, Roseanne, Dharma and Greg, Mad About You, The X-Files, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Practice, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Law & Order: SVU, The Middle, The Sarah Silverman Program, and Hot in Cleveland. And before his career-recharging voice work in the 2009 film Up, Asner had an impressive resume of voice work that included Fish Police, Batman, Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Gargoyles, Freakazoid, Spider-Man, and The Boondocks.

Behind the scenes, Asner was also known for this controversial and highly-politicized run as president of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) beginning in the early 1980s. Known for being personally outspoken on both political and social issues, Asner would use his position to issue official statements about President Ronald Reagan and the U.S.'s involvement in El Salvador. In addition, he would use his office to fight for better labor standards and the formation of labor unions, though a number of his positions were not popular with the studios and possibly cost him work in the process.

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