Frank Davis, New Orleans TV icon for CBS affiliate WWL has died.
For more than 30 years, Davis brought his morning show cooking segments, his “Fishin’ Game Report” and his “Naturally N’Awlins” features to New Orleans viewers.
In May this year, Davis revealed to viewers he was suffering from a rare autoimmune disease called Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy which robbed him of the use of his arms and legs. He retired from the station in 2011.
“Thank God in heaven that I’ve got that happy personality, that I can see something bad and smile about it,” he told WWL medical reporter Meg Farris about his CIDP diagnosis in a May interview. “Believe me, I don’t want to smile about it because it bothers me. It’s a roller coaster ride. I’m good one day. I’m bad one day.”
Davis was honored with a permanent fishing spot under the Seabrook Bridge. “The Frank Davis Fishing Pier,” built by Orleans Levee Board engineers is handicap accessible, has lights for night fishing, and is useable 24 hours a day.
“I learned a long time ago, if you want to be a success in life, first you have to find something you like to do, then you have to do it better than anybody else, and third, find someone to pay you to do it,” he told WWL. “I was fortunate to be able to do that at WWL.”
Davis is survived by his mother, his wife and daughter and four grandchildren. He was 71.