An American Family ‘Matriarch’s First Real TV Mom – Deadline

Patricia Loud, the matriarch of the Loud family in the TV documentary An American family died Sunday of natural causes. She was 94.

The news about Loud’s death was confirmed on the official Facebook page Loud. “With inconsolable sadness we are saddened to share the news to friends and family that Pat Loud passed away peacefully on Sunday 10 January at 13:55 PT in her sleep of natural causes. She was safely sneaked into her comfortable home, attended by loving children Michele, Delilah, Kevin and Grant. ”

Loud was born on October 4, 1926 in Eugene, Oregon. She graduated from Stanford University in 1948 with a degree in World History and English Literature. On her return to her hometown, she meets William Loud and they are getting married in Mexico City. Their first son, Alanson “Lance” Russell Loud, was born in June 1951.

She and her family entered the spotlight as one of the topics of what is considered the first American reality television series. Filmed from May 30 to December 31, 1971, An American family follows the daily life of the Loud family, a higher-middle-class family based in Santa Barbara. What was initially a glimpse into Loud life has become a series describing the divorce of William and Pat Loud.

The documentary was a cultural focus in its time, showing family unrest and the arrival of Lance, one of the family boys, is recognized as one of the first openly gay TV characters. He died in 2001 and William Loud died in 2018 at 97.

An American family first aired on the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States and presented for one season in 12 episodes.

Bill Kobin dies: a groundbreaking public TV executive who ran KCET for 13 years was 91

During her time in the series, Loud appeared on The Dick Cavett Show and The Mike Douglas Show, as the PBS series caught the attention of American viewers.

In 2011, Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini took a deep dive into the reality television series with Cinema Verite. Written by David Seltzer, Cinema Verite Diane Lane was the matriarch, along with Bill Robbin of Tim Robbin and Craig Gilbert of James Gandolfini.

Cinema Verite subsequently won several nominations for the Golden Globes and the Primetime Emmys. Diane Lane nods at her portrayal of Patricia Loud.

Instead of flowers, the family is grateful for any donations made in her name to The Rescue Train at
therescuetrain.org

Read the Facebook post and check out the special video tribute to Patricia Loud below.

Scott Shilstone contributed to this report.