4 ‘Today’ Show Legends Who Are No Longer With Us

The TODAY show remains a leading news and information staple. It premiered in 1952, and has had many fan-favorite anchors along the way. 

Getting a seat on the show cements a journalist in the field, and many beloved personalities have made their mark on TODAY. Here are four TODAY show legends who have appeared on the show over the years and have since passed away.

Barbara Walters

Walters made history as the first woman to co-host the TODAY show, and later as the first woman to co-anchor an evening network news program. She initially joined the show as a receptionist in the 1960s before her anchor gig in 1974, and was met with isolation and sexism on set. 

Walters later had her famous specials, where she interviewed everyone from Hollywood stars to global dictators. She also hosted 20/20 and created The View in the 1990s. Along the way, she inspired many media mavens, including Oprah Winfrey.

Walters died in December 2022. She was 93 years old, leaving behind a daughter and a lasting legacy.

Willard Scott

Scott, the longtime weatherman for the TODAY, died at the age of 87. His death was announced by his successor, Al Roker, in September 2021. He had been with the Today show for over three decades and spent 65 years in total with NBC.

Scott joined the show in 1980. One of his most popular segments was wishing happy birthday to fans turning 100. He began his career in radio before transitioning to television. 

Hugh Downs

Downs anchored both the Today show and 20/20. He died at the age of 99 in Scottsdale, Arizona in 2020. His broadcasting career spanned over 50 years.

He once held the Guinness World Record for the most hours on commercial network television before being surpassed by Regis Philbin. Downs also served as host of the ABC newsmagazine for 20 years until his retirement in 1999.

Jim Hartz

Hartz shared the anchor desk with Walters during the mid-1970s for two years. He died at the age of 82 in 2022. One of his most notable reports was covering the resignation of President Richard Nixon just days into the job. During his time on the show, he also covered the nation’s bicentennial celebration, as well as the end of the Vietnam War in 1975.

In a 2019 interview with Tulsa World, he revealed that a family member tried to persuade him away from journalism. “I was under a lot of pressure from one of my brothers to become a doctor,” he told the publication. “It took me awhile to realize that’s probably not what I wanted to do.”