When Mary Robb Jackson joined the programming department at WPXI-TV in the mid-1970s, she quickly saw a mentor in Don Riggs.

He was a good writer, easygoing, dedicated and funny -- part of what Ms. Jackson called Pittsburgh's "pioneer group" of broadcasters.

As age ravaged his body over the years, one of his traits refused to bend to time.

"His voice never changed," said Ms. Jackson, now a reporter at KDKA-TV.

Mr. Riggs -- who cultivated a Pittsburgh following as a host of the "Daybreak" morning magazine, as the khaki-clad star of the "Safari" children's show and as the raspy voice of "Willie the Duck" -- died yesterday in his Mt. Lebanon home. He was 81.

"There is a big hole in the fabric of early broadcasting history with the passing of Don. He was an icon, a titan. Don had a big heart but no ego," said Eleanor Schano Feeney, who worked with Mr. Riggs in the early 1970s at WIIC-TV, now WPXI-TV.

She was Pittsburgh's first female news anchor, and he was the weatherman.

In an e-mail to the staff announcing Mr. Riggs' death, WPXI General Manager Ray Carter said:

"Entertainment was in his blood. He ran away with the circus when he was a teenager. Really. His act was to hang from a suspended balloon 1,000 feet above the ground."

Mr. Riggs was born in Newark, Ohio. He graduated from Hebron High School in 1945, served in the U.S. Army and in 1952 received a bachelor's degree in education from Capital University in Bexley, Ohio.

At Capital, he met his wife, Joan Striker Riggs, who was taking classes while working as a nurse in the university clinic.

They married Sept. 1, 1951.

Mr. Riggs was working at Ohio radio and television stations during the 1950s when he invented the puppet known as "Willie the Duck." Mrs. Riggs said her husband joked about having made a career out of talking to his hand.

From 1960 to 1967, Mr. Riggs co-hosted KDKA's "Daybreak" -- a show, Mr. Carter said in his e-mail, that at one point enjoyed 70 percent of the audience share.

He also starred as "Bwana Don" on KDKA's "Safari." Mrs. Riggs said the show included Tarzan movies, lessons about wildlife and young studio guests.

"Falling ratings and budget cuts forced Don out at KD. He simply re-invented himself as a news anchor and was off to Indianapolis," Mr. Carter said.

"A year-and-a-half later, he was back in Pittsburgh -- this time at WQED, where he produced and hosted specials and documentaries."

Mr. Riggs jumped to WIIC in 1970 and retired from WPXI in 1990. He featured Willie on "Cartoon Colorama" and had him read the comics on the evening news during a 1970s newspaper strike.

Sometimes, Mr. Riggs cracked up friends by injecting Willie's voice into a casual conversation -- often to deliver the punch line of a joke, retired WPXI reporter Jack Etzel said.

"He was always looking for a joke," Mr. Etzel said.

But Mrs. Riggs said her husband's personality was much deeper than Willie might have suggested.

"He liked history. He'd talk politics to you. He was well-read," Mr. Etzel said.

Mr. Riggs was a well-regarded documentary producer. A pilot, he was the master of ceremonies for air shows and the Three Rivers Regatta. He also promoted the "Presents for Patients" program for St. Barnabas Charities, an arm of the St. Barnabas Health System.

Besides his wife, he is survived by two daughters, Amy Baker and Kathleen Prince, both of Bridgeville; two sons, Eric Riggs of Cleveland, and Carl Riggs of Georgetown; and six grandchildren.

Friends will be received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. tomorrow and from 10 to 11 a.m Tuesday, when a service will follow, at Beinhauer's, 2828 Washington Road, Peters. Memorials may be made to St. Barnabas Charities, 5850 Meridian Road, Gibsonia 15044; to Family Hospice and Palliative Care, 50 Moffett St., Pittsburgh 15243; or to a charity of one's choice.