Willard Scott, the legendary weatherman who spent 65 years at NBC, died at the age of 87, according to US media reports.

His successor on the “TODAY” show, Al Roker, announced that Scott died peacefully Saturday morning surrounded by family. An NBC Universal spokeswoman confirmed the news. No further details were released.

“He was truly my second dad and am where I am today because of his generous spirit,” Roker wrote on Instagram. “Willard was a man of his times, the ultimate broadcaster. There will never be anyone quite like him.”

Scott, who launched the tradition of celebrating centenarians, was born on March 7, 1934, in Alexandria, Virginia. 

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He kick-started his broadcasting career in the 1950s after graduating from American University in Washington. In 1955, he began presenting the NBC radio station WRC’s “Joy Boys” radio show, which he continued to host until 1974.

He also hosted children’s TV shows in the 1960s and featured on WRC as a variety of characters, including Bozo the Clown, a bygone children’s classic who aired on radio stations throughout the country in the 1960s and 1970s.

Meanwhile, Scott also holds the invaluable distinction of being the first person to play Ronald McDonald, appearing in advertisements in Washington starting in 1963.

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Throughout the 1970s, Scott stayed in Washington, working as a weatherman for NBC’s local channel 4 affiliate. In March 1980, the network approached him, and he took over as TODAY’s weatherman from Bob Ryan.

He was adored by the viewers for his charm and exuberant personality. In 1983, Scott honoured a viewer’s request to wish his mother a happy 100th birthday, which began the tradition of greetings to centenarians that was still going strong until today.

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Scott announced his departure from the Today show in December 2015. ″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.″⁣