John Coleman, The Weather Channel founder, dead at 83

Credit: Marty Lederhandler

Credit: Marty Lederhandler

John Coleman, who helped found and develop The Weather Channel, died Saturday at his home in Las Vegas. He was 83.

Coleman, a longtime weatherman, innovated the position when he started at Good Morning America, according to the Washington Post.

Coleman started The Weather Channel in 1981 with Joseph D'Aleo. Coleman left the network and continued forecasting on stations in New York and Chicago. He last worked in San Diego until he retired in 2014, according to the Washington Post.

"Thirty five years ago John Coleman and others founded The Weather Channel to answer a demand for around-the-clock weather information," the network said in a statement. "We will forever appreciate his vision that we continue to this day as the demand for severe weather coverage and hyper-local forecasting is at an all-time high."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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