Willard Scott Biography – Wiki
Willard Scott was an American weather presenter, television and radio personality, actor, storyteller, clown, comedian, and author who passed away. He is best known for his television work on the Today show as a weather reporter and as the original creator and portrait painter of Ronald McDonald.
He was born on March 7, 1934, in Alexandria, Virginia, and began his broadcasting career after graduating from American University in Washington. In 2015, the veteran NBC meteorologist officially retired from the ‘Today’ show after 35 years. During his time on the show, Scott was well known for using Smucker’s jelly jars to wish happy birthday viewers turning 100 and older and had the distinction of being the first person to play Ronald McDonald, appearing in commercials. in the Washington area beginning in 1963. Before joining ‘Today’, Scott hosted the ‘Joy Boys’ radio show on NBC’s WRC radio station from 1955 to 1974. In the 1960s, he also hosted children’s television shows and appeared on WRC performing a wide range of characters, including Bozo the Clown, a childhood icon who appeared on radio waves across the country in the 1960s and ’70s.
Scott loved to dress up and introduced the weather as Boy George in 1985 when he was at the height of his fame. One year he also dressed up as a giant Cupid for Valentine’s Day, a groundhog to commemorate Groundhog Day, and a barrel on the day taxes was due. Perhaps his best-known trick was dressing up as Brazilian actress and singer Carmen Miranda in 1983 in order to obtain a $ 1,000 donation to the USO. “People said I was a buffoon for doing it,” he told The New York Times in an interview in 1987. “Well, I’ve been a buffoon all my life. That is my act. ” He began wishing viewers a happy 100th birthday in 1983 after a viewer contacted him to ask him to wish his mother a happy birthday. Scott was even approached by First Lady Barbara Bush during the 1989 Inauguration Parade of her husband, President George H.W. Bush. “Suddenly I look and see this very happy face, I run, I give that face a kiss, I run back to (my husband) George,” she recalled. “He said, ‘I didn’t know you knew Willard Scott.’ I said, ‘I don’t know Willard Scott. I love that face. ‘”Scott is survived by his wife Paris Keena, whom he married in 2014, as well as his two daughters, Mary and Sally.
Age
Willard Scott has died at the age of 87-years-old.
Wife & Children
Scott was married to Mary Dwyer Scott from 1959 until her death in 2002. The couple had two children, Mary and Sally. On April 1, 2014, at age 80, Scott married Paris Keena, whom he first met in 1977 while she was working at WRC-TV in Washington, DC. They had been together as a couple since 2003. They lived on Sanibel Island, Florida.
Cause of Death
Scott died on September 4, 2021, of natural causes at the age of 87.
Willard Scott, the iconic “Today” weatherman, died Saturday morning, Sept. 4, NBC spokeswoman Elizabeth Bader confirmed.
‘Today’s Al Roker shared the news on Instagram, calling Willard “a man of his time, the best broadcaster.” The genius Scott was known as the show’s signature weatherman until he announced his semi-retirement in 1996 when Roker took office. Roker tweeted: “We lost a beloved member of our family @todayshow this morning. Willard Scott passed away 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 father. and I am where I am today because of his generous spirit. Willard was a man of his time, the best broadcaster. There will never be anyone like him. ”
Tributes
Katie Couric also paid tribute on Twitter. “I’m heartbroken that the beloved Willard Scott passed away. He played such a big role in my life and was just as warm, loving, and generous off-camera as he was. Willard, you didn’t make it to the front of the Smucker jar, but you changed a lot. lives for the better, “he tweeted along with an old photo of the two.
I am heartbroken that the much loved Willard Scott has passed away. He played such an outsized role in my life & was as warm & loving & generous off camera as he was on. Willard, you didn’t make it to the front of the Smucker’s jar, but you changed so many lives for the better.♥️ pic.twitter.com/aePQnZxf5O
— Katie Couric (@katiecouric) September 4, 2021
