Ed Asner -- Come and Get It, Ladies!! Finally Files for Divorce

Ed Asner has filed for divorce, and the big question is ... why?

The 85-year-old actor -- who became famous as Lou Grant on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" --separated from wife Cindy Asner in 2007, but for some reason he didn't pull the trigger until this month ... 8 years later.

The couple married in 1998, and it seems the split was bitter. Ed tried to cut off her temporary spousal support the year after they separated, saying she was making no effort to become self-supporting.

According to divorce docs, they reached some sort of financial settlement in 2009, but years passed and no one filed for the big D.

We don't know what motivated Ed to make the move, but clearly he does not want death to be the factor that parts them.

No comment from Ed's camp.