ABC is mourning the loss of a TV titan.
Bill Geddie, the television and news producer best known for co-creating the daytime talk show The View, has died of coronary-related factors, his family confirmed on July 21. He was 68.
“He was a big deal in TV, but at home he was an even ‘bigger than life’ husband and dad,” said Geddie’s family in a statement to Variety. “He had a genuine love for television and entertainment. He would try everything and did it well—screenwriting, recording podcasts, playing guitar, writing songs, and loved a wide range of music from country to jazz.”
Over his decades in the industry, Geddie produced countless hours of television, primarily for ABC. In 1997, he made one of his biggest and most lasting contributions to the news organization when he launched The View alongside the late Barbara Walters. Geddie, who received four Emmy awards for the talk show, went on to act as executive producer for 17 years until his departure in 2014.
But his partnership with the broadcast journalist didn’t end there as he also worked with Walters’ BarWall Productions for 25 years, executive producing the company’s Barbara Walters Specials and The 10 Most Fascinating People.