A long-time weathercaster for a Pennsylvania CBS affiliate has died; Pittsburgh affiliate KDKA-TV reports that Jon Burnett, 71, passed away from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE.) CTE is a progressive degenerative brain disease which is caused by a history of repeated hits to the head which emerges long after the initial head injuries are incurred.
Burnett played tackle football throughout childhood and later in college as a defensive end for the University of Tennessee. In an interview about brain injuries with KDKA-TV in 2024, he said he suffered two major concussions during his athletic career and said that he used his head to hit another player 30-40 times per game, resulting in hundreds of collisions over the years.
After a short stint as a weather forecaster, Burnett joined the Pittsburgh CBS affiliate to serve as co-host of their lifestyle talk show, “Evening Magazine.” From there, he went on to host “Pittsburgh 2Day” beginning in 1985. He returned to his meteorological roots in the early 1990s when he joined the the station’s weather team, a position he held for nearly 30 years. He retired in 2019 and went on to suffer major health issues such as memory loss and other neurological issues tied to his CTE diagnosis.
In a statement released by KDKA-TV, they said that Burnett was remembered as “authentic, original, talented, and compassionate.”
Last year, Burnett joined the ongoing study by the National Sports Brain Bank (NSBB) which focuses on research and treatment of brain disorders and their treatment in those dealing with CTE. His participation included an agreement to posthumously donate his brain for further analysis and research. According to the NSBB, Burnett’s interviews and publicity of his issues with CTE helped attract 100 other patients into their research program.
Burnett is survived by his wife, Debbie, children Samantha and Eric and their spouses Brett and Erinn, his grandchildren Eli, Caroline, Nathaniel, Shepherd, and Locke, his mother and father Nancy and Jon, Sr., brother David, sister Martha Rudder and other extended family members.
