Jerry Taft, Longtime ABC Meteorologist, Dies At 77

CHICAGO, IL — Jerry Taft, a meteorologist at ABC Chicago for 33 years, died Thursday night at age 77, according to reports.

Taft was a TV weatherman in Chicago for more than 40 years, heading to Florida after his retirement to golf, relax and stay busy by driving for Uber.

Taft joined ABC 7 in 1984 after working at NBC 5 for seven years and serving in the U.S. Air Force for 15 years.

On Twitter, Taft called himself an "Air Force pilot, husband, father, golfer and Uber driver." He became interested in meteorology during his time as a captain in the Air Force, according to ABC.

"He was a captain in the Air Force in Texas when he took the local weatherman in San Antonio up for a publicity flight for the military," ABC Chicago reported. "Then, that weatherman turned the tables and put Jerry on the air."

In 2012, Taft told Lemont students about breaking into TV, attributing it to being in the right place at the right time.

"A lot of kids go to school for meteorology or broadcasting and end up trying to figure out how to get their foot in the door," he said. "Sometimes it's just a fluke. I tell kids to get an education so they have the right qualifications, that way if something lucky happens they are qualified for the job."

After his retirement, Taft stayed active on social media. In April, amid coronavirus concerns, he tweeted a photo of himself and said, "I'm fine. Stay healthy," jokingly adding, "Stay away from Giangreco!"

In 2017, Taft put his Lemont home on the market.

Survived by wife Shana and children Skylar, Storm, Dana and Jay, Taft "died peacefully Thursday night surrounded by family members," ABC said.

Colleague Tracy Butler reacted to news of Taft's death early Friday, tweeting, "I can hear that laugh. Wow...I can hear that laugh. Miss you, pal. My deepest sympathy to his family."