Willard Herman Scott Jr. (March 7, 1934 - September 4, 2021) was an American weather presenter, author, television personality, actor, clown, comedian and radio personality, best known for his TV work on the Today show and as the creator and original portrayer of Ronald McDonald.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
Scott first hosted the NBC coverage of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1987, with Mary Hart as his co-host. For the 1988 telecast, Hart's role was taken over by Sandy Duncan, who in turn was replaced by Deborah Norville for the 1989 and 1990 Parades. He would later be joined by Katie Couric in 1991, and Al Roker in 1995. He hosted the NBC broadcast for a decade, hosting for the final time in 1997.
After retiring from hosting the NBC coverage of the parade, Scott would continue to appear in the Parade itself as a participant. In 2001, he was a pilgrim riding the Tom Turkey float, and in 2007 he rode a 1925 Pierce-Arrow Town Car with that year's Macy's Parade Queen. He was originally meant to make an appearance on the Santaland Express float at the 2011 Parade, but he was unable to show up for undisclosed reasons.
On September 4, 2021, Scott passed away at 87. As a tribute to him, the NBC coverage of that year's Parade included a tribute to him.