'To be continued': Jimmy Kimmel pens emotional tribute to Norman Lear whom he loved 'dearly'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Jimmy Kimmel paid a heartfelt tribute to legendary TV producer Norman Milton Lear who died on Tuesday, December 6, at the age of 101.

Lear was the creative force behind iconic sitcoms such as 'All in the Family', 'The Jeffersons', 'Good Times', and 'One Day at a Time.' With his work, he influenced generations of comedians and writers.

Jimmy Kimmel shared a profane gift and a hilarious note from Norman Lear

Kimmel, who worked with Lear on several projects including live revivals of his classic shows, shared a personal story about the comedy icon on his show on Wednesday, December 6.

 He said he and his wife Molly McNearey had sent Lear a holiday gift of a sweatshirt that had “Norman F*****g Lear” written on it. Lear responded with a hilarious thank you note that was full of profanity.

“He said, ‘Dear Molly and Jimmy, I can’t f****** believe this f*****g sweatshirt. It’s something I’ve always wanted more than I can f****** tell.

"You guys are the f*****g best, and I wish you the dearest, sweetest, greatest f*****g holiday season in the history of holiday f*****g seasons.’ Signed, Norman F Lear,” Kimmel read. “His middle name was Milton, so…”

Jimmy Kimmel said Norman Lear changed situation comedy in the best way possible

Kimmel also praised Lear for his groundbreaking and socially relevant work in television, saying that “he changed situation comedy in the best way possible.”

“He taught us so much about so many serious things, always making us laugh while he did it,” Kimmel added.

He said, "Everyone who works in or even watches television owes him a great debt, especially me."

"I was fortunate enough to work with Norman on several projects over the last five years including live revivals of some of his greatest shows and I loved him dearly," he continued.

Jimmy Kimmel's teary good bye to Norman Lear saying his famous lines 

Kimmel choked up as he ended his tribute with Lear’s signature sign-off. “One of the many, many sweet things about Norman was he never said ‘Goodbye,’” Kimmel said.

“He’d say, ‘To be continued,’ and ‘Over and next.’ And so that’s how we’ll leave it. ‘To be continued, over and next.’”

Lear, as per Lara Bergthold, a spokeswoman for the family, died "after a lifetime of laughter" at his home in Los Angeles of natural causes.