Woody Fraser, creator of ‘Good Morning America,’ dead at 90
Acclaimed American television producer and director Woody Fraser, known for creating “Good Morning America” among various other iconic programs, has passed away at the age of 90.
Warm words for Fraser poured in after his daughter Stacy confirmed to Variety that he had died on Saturday.
“Woody Fraser was EP of my @FoxNews TV show & a TV pioneer. He was creator of many TV shows over 7 decades,” former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee wrote on X.
Huckabee, calling the late producer a “legend,” also noted that Fraser served as his mentor on television.
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Producer Woody Fraser pays tribute to Mike Douglas onstage during the 34th Annual Daytime Creative Arts & Entertainment Emmy Awards held at the Hollywood & Highland Grand Ballroom on June 14, 2007 in Hollywood, California. ((Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images))
Producer E.V. Di Massa Jr., Fraser’s longtime collaborator, also paid tribute on Facebook.
“My mentor and a true producing genius, Woody Fraser, passed. So many memories. Here we are accepting the Mike Douglas Lifetime Award at the Emmys,” Massa wrote, sharing a picture with Fraser.
Fraser, during his extensive career, was nominated for a plethora of Daytime Emmy Awards for his work on programs like “The Mike Douglas Show,” “The Richard Simmons Show,” “The Dick Cavett Show,” “What Would You Do?” “The Family Challenge” and “Good Morning America.”
He won the Emmy for “The Richard Simmons Show” in 1982 alongside his wife Noreen Fraser, who served as a producer on the show at the time. Noreen passed away following a battle with breast cancer in 2017.
Fraser is credited with helping establish “Good Morning America” as a formidable morning entertainment program, serving as the show’s first executive producer.
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Woody Fraser, Madeline Fraser and Noreen Fraser attend the Stella & Dot and The Noreen Fraser Foundation Breast Cancer Awareness Trunk Show Hosted by Noreen Fraser and Co-Hosts Debbie Matenopoulos, Samantha Harris and Katherine Schwarzenegger on October 5, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. ((Photo by Araya Diaz/Getty Images for Stella & Dot))
He spent 50 years working in Hollywood, beginning his career as a director for NBC in 1960. It was the same year he worked with Mike Douglas to help create his self-titled show, which became one of the most successful and long-running talk shows in the entertainment industry.
From 1966 to 1973, Fraser oversaw 32.5 hours of programming a week — a record at the time.
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Toward the tail end of his career, Fraser ran CNBC’s “McEnroe” and Fox News’ “Huckabee.”
Fraser is survived by eight children and three grandchildren. His family said more details about his death will come at a later date.
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