Linny Boyette, a military veteran who got up at the crack of dawn every morning for 20 years to stand outside NBC's "Today" show studios in Rockefeller Center, died Sunday. He was 71.
Boyette passed away from
complications following a heart attack, according to USA Today.
Over the years, Boyette became a "Today" show regular. He was on a first-name basis with current hosts Matt Lauer and Al Roker and former host Meredith Vieira, and even got fan mail delivered to the studio.
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"We actually get more viewer mail about Linny than any of our on-air team," co-host Natalie Morales said on "Today" Monday. "And we understand because we love Linny too and we're certainly going to miss him."
Boyette, who was born in England, reportedly took the subway every morning from his home in the Bronx, N.Y., to the plaza outside the "Today" show. He'd be out there by 5:30 a.m. and would kill time by reading a newspaper until the broadcast started at 7 a.m.
"It's something to do every morning. It makes my day," he told TODAY.com in 2010.
Member of the "Today" show family and Boyette's fans took to Twitter to remember him.
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