TV Weatherman John Bernard Dead at 87

Beloved TV weatherman John Bernard has died. The Dutch meteorologist and weather presenter, whose career spanned nearly five decades, passed away in November at the age of 84, his family and former employer RTL confirmed. A cause of death was not disclosed.

Bernard got his start as a meteorological officer at Soesterberg Air Base from 1957 to 1962, and later went on to work at the KNMI airport. He started at the NOS in 1984 before he eventually moved to RTL 4, where he worked until his retirement on August 22, 2002. Throughout his career, Bernanrd was regarded as “a very skilled colleague,” RTL Nieuws editor-in-chief Ilse Openneer said.

“He came into many living rooms as a face for years,” Openneer said. “John was a very skilled colleague and always friendly to everyone who worked at RTL. He always presented the weather meticulously, and with ominous weather John changed his tone.”

Bernard was considered something of a legend in the world of weather, with his former RTL colleague Helga van Leur writing in a 2014 blog post, “Within RTL the stories about him are legendary. John was phenomenal with estimating the time. According to legend, he was rarely a second too long (and take it from me: that’s really very handsome!).”

Paying tribute to Bernard following his passing, van Leur shared a photo of herself and the weatherman on Instagram, writing in the caption, “Heaven has a weather god. 87 years you looked up from Earth and took us in your knowledge, passion and wonder…. Strength to everyone close to his heart.”

More tributes to the beloved meteorologist poured in, with Irene Moors commenting, “The treasure. It was so nice to see and hear his weather reports at RTL4 for years. So confident. A sweet man. Wishing strength to his family and friends.” Another person wrote, “My guilty pleasure is rewatching John’s old weather reports on YouTube. I am a teacher myself and you can see how well he could do it. You rarely see that anymore: not only the standard talk but much more meaning. An icon has passed away, a voice and wise man from my youth.”

Following his retirement from RTL, Bernard worked for the National Elderly Fund, giving tips to the elderly what they should and should not do during heat waves, per de Volkskrant. He was recognized for his work with a MAX Award in 2007.