Emmy award-winning director Duke Struck suffered a respiratory failure in a Florida hospital and passed away last month, he was 82. Struck directed parts of The Oprah Winfrey Show, The NFL Today, Good Morning America.
Struck started directing The NFL Today in the early 1970’s and left to pursue other ventures. He returned to produce the show in 1980 and stayed for more than a decade. He also directed more than 800 episodes of The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, Struck was raised in Fairfax County, Virginia. His father was in the business as a stagehand for the TV variety program The Jimmy Dean Show. Struck, who also worked on the Dean show, graduated with a degree in English from American University in Washington.
“He won 14 Emmys. He went on the campaign trail and met 5 presidents,” said Struck’s daughter Sydney. “His life was nothing short of wild. My mom coaxed him for years to write a book about his life, but his reply was always that he did not want to “kiss and tell”.
He is survived by his wife and daughter, Sydney.
