Ed Asner Had Major Project in the Works Before His Death

Ed Asner had a highly anticipated project in the works at the time of his death. Sadly, the actor passed away on Sunday morning at the age of 91. Just weeks earlier, Variety had reported on his upcoming talent show series titled Silver Stars.

Asner was reportedly working on a show styled after American Idol or America’s Got Talent, with one major twist — all the competitors would be 65 years old or older. The show was being developed for Saltbox TV, which is a relatively new streaming service supported by ads. It targets older adult audiences, so Silver Stars would have been a perfect fit. Asner was a brand ambassador for Saltbox TV, and would have helped select the talent for the series, among other possible participation down the road.

“We’re trying to make Saltbox a destination for this community to go where they can find the kind of entertainment that they enjoy,” said Saltbox co-founder Patty Carver at the time. “We dismiss older adults here, but it’s not like that in other countries. These are vibrant adults who still have a lot to offer.”

Asner may have seen some auditions for Silver Stars before he passed away this weekend. Those interested in competing needed only to submit a 60-second video before Sept. 6 to be considered, so there may be some acts on the show curated by Asner himself. Sadly, he will not be there to judge or host or participate.

Asner’s family told Deadline that he passed away peacefully on Sunday morning surrounded by loved ones. The circumstances of his death have not been revealed, but he has already been mourned widely on social media. Asner has been a towering presence in the entertainment industry for years, from the stage to the big screen to TV, and even behind the scenes.

Asner is best known to most for portraying Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, then later on his own spinoff and in one-off appearances on other sitcoms. To younger fans, he is known for his voice acting in animation — most notably for playing Carl Fredricksen in Pixar‘s Up.

At the same time, Asner was busy behind the scenes with activism, politics and organizing. He was the president of the Screen Actors Guild for two terms in the 1980s, and was considered a driving force of the 1980 SAG strike. He also used that platform to pressure politicians on causes he felt passionately about, even when he believed it was damaging his own career.

Asner is survived by four children: Matthew, Liza, Kate and Charles. So far, there has been no announcement about any public memorials for the actor.