Who was Ed Asner? The man episode one of Dead To Me season three is tribute to

The third and final season of Dead To Me has just landed on Netflix, and the first episode pays tribute to a man called Ed Asner. Fans of the show will remember Ed as being a very special person, with a huge impact on some of our favourite characters, whilst being a favourite character himself.

At the end of the new season’s first episode, “In Memory of Ed Asner” appears on screen. So, here’s who he was and why he was such a huge figure on the Netflix show.

Season three of Dead To Me pays tribute to Ed Asner, a very special man in the show

via Netflix

If you watch Dead To Me, you will remember Ed Asner as playing Abe. He lived at the assisted living facility that Judy worked at. The pair built a strong connection, before we saw Abe’s death at the end of the first season.

Seven-time Emmy winner Ed Asner died in August 2021 at age 91, after season two of the show had aired. He has had over 400 roles across TV and film during his career. On his Rotten Tomatoes page, Ed is described as: “A legend of both comedy and drama in both film and television, Ed Asner had the distinction of being the only actor to win an Emmy in both genres for playing the same character, Lou Grant.

“Despite his outspoken political activism, Asner remained impossible to dislike as well as one of Hollywood’s hardest working performers.”

His death was reported as from natural causes.

The third and final season of Dead To Me is on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook. 

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