Willard Scott, weatherman on NBC’s ‘Today’ show, dies at 87

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Co-hosts Al Roker and Willard Scott look connected NBC's "Today" astatine Rockefeller Center connected July 14, 2009, successful New York City.

NEW YORK – Willard Scott, the beloved weatherman who charmed viewers of NBC's “Today” amusement with his self-deprecating wit and cheerful personality, has died. He was 87.

His successor connected the greeting quality show, Al Roker, announced that Scott died peacefully Saturday greeting surrounded by family. An NBC Universal spokeswoman confirmed the news. No further details were released.

“He was genuinely my 2nd dada and americium wherever I americium contiguous due to the fact that of his generous spirit,” Roker wrote connected Instagram. "Willard was a antheral of his times, the eventual broadcaster. There volition ne'er beryllium anyone rather similar him.”

“He played specified an outsized relation successful my beingness and was arsenic lukewarm and loving and generous off-camera arsenic helium was on,” Katie Couric tweeted.

Scott began his 65-year vocation astatine NBC arsenic an entry-level leafage astatine an affiliate presumption successful Washington, D.C., and roseate to go the upwind forecaster connected the network's flagship greeting amusement for much than 3 decades. His trademark was giving on-air day greetings to viewers who turned 100 years aged by putting their faces connected Smucker's jelly jars and delivering upwind updates successful zany costumes.

According to NBC, helium erstwhile took up a viewer's situation to look successful resistance to triumph a $1,000 donation to the USO, the foundation for subject families, by dressing up arsenic the Brazilian vocalist Carmen Miranda. The stunt wasn't caller for the genial Scott: helium played Bozo the Clown erstwhile helium hosted a children's TV amusement successful the 1960s and Ronald McDonald successful commercials successful the Washington area.

He often dressed arsenic Santa Claus astatine the National Tree Lighting ceremonial passim the 1980s and co-anchored NBC's sum of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade betwixt 1987 to 1997. In 1 memorable infinitesimal connected unrecorded television, First Lady Barbara Bush gave him a buss during the 1989 inauguration parade of her husband, President George H.W. Bush.

“(The president) said, ‘I didn’t cognize you knew Willard Scott.’ I said, ‘I don’t cognize Willard Scott. I conscionable emotion that face.' ” the archetypal woman recalled.

Scott handed the reins to Roker successful 1996, occasionally filling successful for him for the adjacent decennary earlier afloat retiring successful 2015.

He is survived by his wife, Paris Keena, whom helium joined successful 2014, and 2 daughters with Mary Dwyer Scott, his woman of 43 years until she died successful 2002.

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