Willard Scott, legendary TODAY weatherman, dies at 87
Source: Today (NBC)
Willard Scott -- the legendary TODAY weatherman known for his exuberant personality and launching the tradition of celebrating fans who reached the century mark -- died this morning, TODAY's Al Roker has confirmed. Scott was 87 years old."We lost a beloved member of our @todayshow family this morning," Roker shared on Instagram. "Willard Scott passed peacefully at the age of 87 surrounded by family, including his daughters Sally and Mary and his lovely wife, Paris. He was truly my second dad and am where I am today because of his generous spirit. Willard was a man of his times, the ultimate broadcaster. There will never be anyone quite like him."
Scott, who joined TODAY in 1980, may have been best known for wishing happy birthday to fans turning 100, a feature that soared in popularity over the years, with images of centenarians appearing on Smucker's jelly jars while Scott recognized them in front of millions of viewers. Scott, who began his 65-year career with NBC as a page at the affiliate station in Washington, D.C., in 1950, would also do his forecasts on the road, delighting locals with his unflagging charm. ''I just love people,'' he told The New York Times in 1987. ''A lot of speakers on the talk circuit leave right afterward. I do a lot of shmoozing. I'm like a dog. You just open the door and I go, 'rrrr, rrrr,' and then I lick everybody's face.'
Born March 7, 1934 in Alexandria, Virginia, Scott's broadcasting career began in the 1950s, after he graduated from American University in Washington. In 1955, he began hosting the "Joy Boys" radio show on the NBC radio station WRC and remain on the program until it ended in 1974. In the 1960s, he also hosted children's TV shows and appeared on WRC playing a wide range of characters, including Bozo the Clown, a bygone children's icon who appeared on airwaves around the country in the '60s and '70s. Scott also had the distinction of being the first person to play Ronald McDonald, appearing in commercials in the Washington area starting in 1963.Scott remained in Washington throughout the 1970s, becoming the weatherman for NBC's local channel 4 station.
In March 1980,the network came calling, and he replaced Bob Ryan as weatherman on TODAY. (Ryan then took Scott's old job, becoming the meteorologist at WRC.) No gimmick was too much for Scott. In 1985, he did the weather dressed as Boy George while the singer was at the height of his fame. He also dressed up as a giant Cupid on Valentine's Day, in a barrel on the day taxes were due and a groundhog to celebrate Groundhog Day. His most memorable stunt, though, may have been dressing up as Brazilian singer and actress Carmen Miranda in a 1983 episode of TODAY in order to secure a $1,000 donation to the USO. He took some flak for it, but stood by it. ''People said I was a buffoon to do it,'' he told The New York Times in that 1987 interview. ''Well, all my life I've been a buffoon. That's my act.''
Read more: https://www.today.com/news/willard-scott-dead-t152927
Wow. I hadn't heard his name in a long long time.
R.I.P.
The "classic" days of the Today Show -
(forgot all about Gene Shalit too - and he is still around at 95 years old
)
= new reply since forum marked as read
These are the "classics" I remember. I haven't watched it in many, many years.
Frank Blair, Dave Garroway, J. Fred Muggs, Jack Lescoulie
Did they really let him go on the air like that? He looks silly. 
He was a piece of work. He did movie/book reviews.
Still sporting the 'stache though, even the past year.
