Woody Fraser, the prolific American producer and director best known for launching “The Mike Douglas Show” and “Good Morning America,” has died. He was 90.
Variety confirmed that Fraser died Saturday afternoon, via his daughter Stacy. More details will become available in the coming days.
Fraser has remained one of the most successful TV producers in entertainment history, specifically in the talk, news and variety programming spaces. In his roughly 50 years in Hollywood, Fraser amassed credits on “The Dick Cavett Show,” “The Richard Simmons Show,” “On Trial,” “What Would You Do?,” “The Family Challenge,” “That’s Incredible!,” “The Home Show” and more.
Long-time collaborator and fellow producer E.V. Di Massa Jr. took to Facebook Sunday to remember his mentor and friend.
“My mentor and a true producing genius Woody Fraser passed,” Massa wrote, sharing a picture of them together. “So many memories. Here we are accepting the Mike Douglas Lifetime Award at the Emmys..may God hold him until we have our next production meeting in heaven.”
Fraser started his career in television in 1960 as a director for NBC. That same year he would be introduced to Mike Douglas and shortly after the pair co-created “The Mike Douglas Show,” which ran over 4000 episodes from 1961-1982.
