Al Roker Pays Tribute to His Late Dad With Throwback Photos on Father's Day
Today Show meteorologist Al Roker marked Father's Day by sharing a collection of old family photos on Sunday. Al Roker Sr. was a longtime New York City bus driver who was his "greatest advocate," Roker, 67, recently said. Roker has three children of his own, Courtney, 35, Leila, 23, and Nicholas, 19.
"I miss him every day, but especially today. [Happy Father's Day], Al Roker, Sr.," Roker wrote. He included photos of himself with his father and their family. It was similar to past Father's Day messages from the Today co-host. "Missing Albert Lincoln Roker, Sr. I'm coming up on 66 and at the same age, he only had 2 more Father's Days left. I just want more Father's Days," he wrote in 2020.
On Father's Day 2013, Roker recalled how his father "took a lot of pride" in his work as a bus driver. Roker told Today he loved going with his dad on the bus in the morning. "I wouldn't trade that time for all the tea in China. It was just me and him, even though there was a bus full of people. I was watching him driving the bus," Roker said.
Roker and his Today colleagues Carson Daly and Craig Melvin headed to Coney Island for a special Father's Day segment that aired Friday. In an interview with PEOPLE before the segment aired, Roker said they were "fortunate enough" to spend time with their fathers, who informed them on how they became fathers.
"I know for myself, I tend to put my dad a bit on a pedestal," Roker told PEOPLE. "He had his faults and all of his issues, but one of the things I always remember, and I try to do, is that he really was my greatest advocate. And I try to be that for my kids."
During the segment, Roker recalled one of the toughest challenges he faced as a father when he had to tell his children he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2020. "It was the first time I saw fear in my children's eyes," he said. "I mean, they started crying."
Roker wanted to protect his children from the pain, but he realized it was impossible to do that completely. "At the end of the day, that's all you wanna do is protect them and shield them from hurt and/or harm," Roker said on Today. "And at that moment, I realized you can't always do that... You can do the best you can."