Beloved New York Anchor Cries Live on Air Mourning the Death of Her Mother

Rosanna Scotto became emotional on her first day back at ‘Good Day New York’ speaking about her late mom, Marion Scotto, who died in August at age 90

NEED TO KNOW

• Rosanna Scotto became emotional live on Good Day New York after “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” reminded her of her late parents
• The longtime New York anchor returned to work Sept. 1 after announcing the death of her mother, Marion Scotto, on Aug. 26
• Scotto thanked viewers for their support and joked that her mother “would kill me right now if she saw me crying on the air”

Rosanna Scotto was overcome with emotion while remembering her late mother on her first day back at work.

The longtime Good Day New York anchor broke down in tears during the Tuesday, Sept. 1, broadcast after hearing B.J. Thomas’ “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” ahead of the morning weather forecast.

“Sorry, sorry. This song reminds me of my parents,” Scotto, 68, said as she struggled to regain her composure.

“Anyway, thank you so much for all the comments and text messages and whatever,” she continued. “My mother would kill me right now if she saw me crying on the air, so we’re going to get it together.”

Scotto then expressed her gratitude for the outpouring of love she has received since announcing the death of her 90-year-old mother, Marion Scotto, in a social media post on Aug. 26. The news drew condolences from many of Scotto’s famous friends, including Hoda Kotb, Al Roker, Andy Cohen, Gloria Gaynor, Debi Mazar, Jill Martin, Dolores Catania, Melissa Gorga and Margaret Josephs.

“I just want to say thank you to everybody who has been so kind and supportive of my mother’s passing,” she said, before looking upward and adding, “Anyway, like I said. Mom, I’m sorry.”

Scotto’s colleagues quickly offered their support.

“Rosanna, you have our deepest condolences from all of us here at Fox 5 and all of our viewers,” co-anchor Dan Bowens told her.

Meteorologist Mike Woods added, “Yes, nice to have you back. And we get it, we got you.”

The emotional moment came shortly after Scotto shared a video on Instagram marking her return to work and thanking friends, fans and viewers for the messages she received following her mother’s death.

“We’re back in the saddle,” she began. “Thank you for the text messages, the comments, the Instagram messages. Appreciate it so much. It was really lovely.”

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Scotto said she was still making her way through the messages and “relishing every text message,” but knew it was time for her to return to Good Day New York.

“Mom would have wanted that,” she explained.

In fact, Scotto said her mother likely would have sent her back to work much sooner. “After Dad died, she had us back in the restaurant that night,” Scotto recalled. “I’ve taken more time than she would have allowed if she were around. So thank you, thank you, thank you.”

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Scotto announced Marion’s death in a lengthy Instagram tribute on Aug. 26, remembering the beloved matriarch not only for her devotion to her family, but for the determination that helped turn their family restaurant, Fresco by Scotto, into a New York institution.

“To the world, Marion Scotto became known as the heart of Fresco by Scotto. But to us, she was simply Mom,” Scotto wrote. “The woman who taught us that family comes first, that hard work is a privilege, and that faith, love and determination can carry you through almost anything.”

Marion was a mother of four, grandmother of eight and great-grandmother whose “greatest happiness” came from seeing her family grow, according to her daughter.

Scotto also recalled the enormous gamble her mother took more than three decades ago when the family had an opportunity to open a restaurant in Midtown Manhattan. Despite warnings from friends and family, Marion mortgaged the Brooklyn home where she and her husband had raised their children to help make the restaurant a reality.

“Most people would’ve walked away. Not our mother,” Scotto wrote. “She believed in her family. She believed in hard work. And she believed that if you welcomed every guest as though they were entering your home, success would follow. She was right.”

Fresco by Scotto went on to welcome presidents, world leaders, royalty and celebrities over its more than three decades in business. But Scotto said the woman affectionately known as “Mama Scotto” never defined the restaurant’s success by its famous clientele.

“She measured it by whether people left feeling cared for. And well fed!” she wrote.

Scotto said her mother instilled those same values in her family, teaching them “to work hard without complaining,” “to take risks when we believed in something” and “to always make room for one more person.”

Still, she said Marion considered the family she built far more important than the restaurant that made her a familiar face to generations of New Yorkers.

“Her greatest achievement wasn’t Fresco by Scotto. It was her family,” Scotto wrote. “She poured herself into her children, grandchildren, and her great grandchild. She celebrated every milestone, and comforted every disappointment!”

Scotto ended her tribute with a message directly to her mother — and a touching hope that Marion had been reunited with her late husband, Anthony Scotto, who died in 2021.

“Your table will always be set in our hearts,” she wrote. “We hope Dad is waiting for you with some Frank Sinatra music or … maybe even Frank Sinatra.”

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