Obituary: Weather Channel's Curt Hecht

Longtime digital and advertising/media executive Curt Hecht has died. Hecht most recently was the chief global revenue officer for The Weather Channel, a position he held since April 2012.

He was 47 years old.

Hecht previously held senior positions -- including CEO of VivaKi Nerve Center and chief digital officer at Starcom MediaVest Group. He spent 20 years in various roles at Publicis Groupe.

Of his many accomplishments, Hecht launched the company’s WeatherFX division in late 2012, an effort centered around a new advertising sales strategy using weather data and predictive analytics. WeatherFX was created to help marketers leverage local weather conditions and other factors to deliver messaging to consumers across Weather Channels’ assets.

David Kenny, chairman of The Weather Channel, in a memo to staff, said: “I am incredibly sad to share the incomprehensible news that we have lost our dear friend and colleague, Curt Hecht, to lung cancer. Curt was battling lung cancer over the last five months, something that is almost impossible to believe, given what an amazing athlete he was and that he never smoked. Life is neither fair nor predictable.

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"I have known Curt for at least one-third of his short 48 years, and I can tell you that his life mattered in countless ways. His life mattered most to the love of his life, Dorothy Rotatori, and his two beautiful daughters, Peggy (13) and Kaki (9).

"Curt’s life mattered to the digital advertising industry, as he pioneered countless innovations with his clients at Starcom MediaVest, VivaKi, Publicis and The Weather Company. Curt was an early pioneer in search, “native” advertising, localization, social-informed ads, and retargeting. Curt created the first agency trading desk.”

Kenny added that those who would like to make a donation to the Hecht girls’ education fund can do that here.

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