Atlanta icon Capt. Herb Emory passes away at 61

Traffic reporter and Atlanta icon Capt. Herb Emory died on Saturday after stopping to help motorists involved in wreck in Douglas County, according to published reports. He was 61.

The North Carolina native moved to Atlanta in 1971, according to his bio on WSB-AM, where he provided commuters with lave traffic reports for more than two decades.

“He’s going to be missed by Douglas County and the whole state of Georgia,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution quoted Douglas County coroner Randy Daniel as saying. “He’s such a talent, a good friend and a good family man. You put them three together and that’s a legacy.”

The award-winning Emory, who was active in the Metro Atlanta community, was inducted into the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame in 2008. In addition to giving motorists traffic reports, Emory produced WSB Speed Shop for the radio station from 1993 until 2011, according to WSB-AM.

“I would listen to Cap’n Herb’s traffic reports at home in Naples or on the road — just to give me a sense of being in Atlanta,” former WSB-AM host Neal Boortz said on Twitter.