He began his career as a meteorologist at WOLO-TV in Columbia, South Carolina; WATE-TV in Knoxville, Tennessee; and WSB-TV in Atlanta[1] before leaving to join The Weather Channel.
Richards' death resulted from a plane crash, which is thought to have been suicide due to his anxiety over an alleged extra-marital affair that was increasingly becoming public knowledge.
After a radio interview in which his former girlfriend provided messages he had left on her phone answering machine, Richards became despondent.
After delivering the 10pm weather report on the night of March 23, 1994, Richards took off from Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield, Missouri, and flew his plane, a Piper Cherokee,[3] into the ground.
Weatherman Bob Richards’ Suicide 25 Years Ago Rocked St. Louis at Riverfront Times