Willard Scott, ‘Today’ Show Weatherman, Dies at 87

Willard Scott, the iconic goofy weathermen who spent 65 years working for NBC, the last of those 35 as a regular on the Today show, has died at the age of 87.

Scott was not only known for his on-air talents, but for creating and portraying the original Ronald McDonald. He passed away on Saturday, according to current Today weatherman Al Roker.

“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 retired from the Today show in December 2015, however still appeared on the show from time to time (sponsored by Smucker’s) to wish “Happy Birthday” to viewers who had reached triple digits in age, a “centenarian” tradition he started in 1983.

He first became a big household name when he joined Tom Brokaw and Jane Pauley on the broadcast in 1980, although he was not much of an expert on weather at the time.

Scott was 6-foot-3 and weighed almost 300 pounds at certain points of his life, but played into his goon-like nature, making his viewers laugh and look forward to his reports.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, a People magazine story in 1980 noted that his reports were prepared by two professional meteorologists.

“I became a household word,” Willard said in 1989, “but I know, even if the rest of the world doesn’t, that buffooning is not what has made me work. I work because people know I love them. I also know that just the fact that I’m alive offends some people. I’m big, overpowering, flamboyant and loud. That’s a turnoff, but some people see a heart to this beast. I might put my foot in my mouth five times out of six, but the sixth time, I strike a chord, and people respond.”

As for how he created Ronald McDonald: “When Bozo went off the air,” he wrote in his 1983 book The Joy of Living, “the local McDonald’s people asked me to come up with a new character to take Bozo’s place. So I sat down and created Ronald McDonald.”

Scott served as the Today show’s top weatherman until Roker took over in 1996. He is survived by his wife, Paris, whom he married in 2014, as well as his two daughters from his first marriage to Mary Dwyer Scott, who he was married to from 1959 until her death in 2002.

Michael is a music and television junkie keen on most things that are not a complete and total bore. You can follow him on Twitter — @Tweetskoor