Pat Loud, the matriarch of PBS’s groundbreaking documentary series “American Family”, died. She was 94 years old.
She made history in pop culture when the series debuted in 1973. In short, Loud was the mother of reality shows.
His family confirmed Loud’s passing on Sunday on his official Facebook page.
“With inconsolable sadness, we are sad to share with friends and family the news that on Sunday, January 10, at 1:55 pm PT, Pat Loud passed away peacefully in his sleep from natural causes,” says the post. “She was safely tucked away in her comfortable home, accompanied by loving children Michele, Delilah, Kevin and Grant.”
“American Family,” created by documentary filmmaker Craig Gilbert, sometimes shone a harsh spotlight on the lives of the upper middle class, school days and infidelities of Loud, her husband, Bill, and their five children in Santa Barbara, California. The then shocking series notoriously presented the Louds’ separation and divorce on camera, as well as the departure of his eldest son, Lance, the first openly gay person featured on United States television.
The show generated international headlines – some highly critical of the Louds for exposing all of their dirty laundry to the general public – and was even parodied by the original cast of “Saturday Night Live”.
Born Patricia Claire Russell on October 4, 1926 in Eugene, Oregon, Loud graduated from Stanford University in 1948 with degrees in World History and English Literature. Upon returning to her hometown, she met and fell in love with Bill Loud.
They were married in Mexico City, and their first child – Alanson “Lance” Russel Loud – was born in June 1951.
“Four more children, a move to Santa Barbara and a famous television divorce later, Pat’s second brilliant act was just beginning,” his family shared in his Facebook memorial. “An apartment on New York’s Upper East Side and a new career in the book market were followed by a move to England’s favorite Roman spa town, Bath, in the 1980s. But wherever she was, an invitation to her a table meant an unforgettable evening of good food, generous drinks and cheerful company. “
When eldest son Lance, the emerging “American Family” star, was diagnosed as HIV positive at the height of the AIDS epidemic, she returned to Los Angeles to care for him during the 1990s.
“Loud was a ferocious, uncompromising and outspoken matriarch and a staunch defender of outsiders and iconoclasts,” posted his family. “His door was never locked and there was always room on his desk. Without regret or reflection, she moved forward in life with enthusiasm and courage. “
After moving to New York’s Upper East Side when his marriage imploded on national television, Loud wrote two books: “Pat Loud: A Woman’s Story” in 1974 and “Lance Out Loud” in 2012.
The Emmy winner “Cinema Verite”, a fictional version of the making of “An American Family”, debuted on HBO in 2011 and starred Tim Robbins as Bill, Diane Lane as Pat, Tim Robbins as Bill, Thomas Dekker as Lance and late James Gandolfini as filmmaker Gilbert.
Lance died of complications due to hepatitis C in 2001. Bill Loud died in 2018, also of natural causes, after spending the previous 17 years in the house he shared with Pat. (Yes, they finally got together.)
She left her children Kevin Robert, Grant Randolph, Delilah Ann and Michele Summers Loud.
Instead of flowers, the family asks that all donations made on their behalf go to The Rescue Train, an animal welfare organization based in Los Angeles.
“But … do you know what she would really like?”, The family continued its tribute on social media. “Throw something delicious in the oven and let the aroma fill the house. At 5pm, gather friends and family around a tray of tasty treats. Fill a glass with ice and – if you really want to do it right – everyone drinks one, a VERY LARGE vodka. Maybe (definitely) two. Then, sit down to dinner at a crowded table. Tell stories, put on music, laugh and make a lot of noise. Have seconds, clean dishes. And love each other.
She would love that. “
