Norman Learâs family sang him his famous TV theme songs as he died

Norman Lear’s family sang him the theme songs from his famous TV shows just before his death at the age of 101, according to his son-in-law.

CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook, who has been married to Lear’s daughter Kate since 1985, said the family serenaded the TV writer and producer leading up to his death on Dec. 5.

“The family was gathered around the bed. He was very comfortable and resting peacefully, and we did what we knew he would want,” LaPook told Gayle King during an appearance on “CBS Mornings” on Thursday. “We were singing songs from Les Mis, and also some of the songs from his TV shows.”

Lear was the creator behind iconic shows such as “All in the Family,” “The Jeffersons,” “Good Times,” “Sanford and Son.” His influence has been credited with changing the history of the small screen.

“You never know when these moments are going to sneak up on you,” LaPook said. “We started singing [”The Jeffersons” theme song] ‘Movin’ on up to the East Side …’ and I heard myself saying ‘to a deluxe apartment in the sky’…I just lost it, because he’s going to some deluxe apartment in the sky.”

“If you were to say to someone in their 40s, ‘How do you want to die?’ They might say, ‘at 101, surrounded by loved ones, with them singing to me and laughing and without any pain,’ and that’s exactly what happened,” LaPook added.