Condolences and prayers are sent for the former weatherman of the NBC breakfast show and his family as he has died at the age of 87 following a brief illness.

• Sep 6, 2021

AceShowbiz - Willard Scott, the beloved longtime weatherman for American breakfast show "Today", has died.

Scott worked for the programme for 35 years and it was Al Roker, who succeeded him as "Today" meteorologist in 1996, who confirmed the news of the passing of his "second dad" on Instagram on Saturday (04Sep21).

"We lost a beloved member of our @todayshow family this morning," he wrote.

"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 joined the NBC morning show in 1980 and went into semi-retirement in early 1996, but continued to appear two days a week to celebrate viewers who were turning 100. He officially retired in 2015.

The TV personality began his 65-year career with NBC as a page at the affiliate station in Washington, D.C., in 1950, before joining the "Joy Boys Radio" show in 1955, until the programme ended in 1974. He hosted children's TV shows and played a wide range of characters, including Bozo the Clown, during the '60s and '70s.

Scott, who was also the original Ronald McDonald for McDonald's, appeared in commercials as the clown mascot in 1963 in the Washington D.C. area, where he later became the meteorologist for NBC's channel 4 station, before being tapped for the "Today" show.

In 1985, then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan awarded Scott a Private Sector Award for Public Service.

TV icon Willard was married twice. His second wife, Paris Keena, who he wed in 2014, aged 80, also confirmed his death to The New York Times, revealing he had died after a brief illness.