Game show host Chuck Woolery of ‘Wheel of Fortune,’ ‘Love Connection,’ dies at 83
Chuck Woolery, former host of “Wheel of Fortune,” “Love Connection” and “Scrabble,” has died at age 83.
Woolery died at his home in Texas in front of his wife, Kristen, friend and podcast host Mark Young told the Associated Press. Along with his wife, Woolery is survived by his sons Michael and Sean and daughter Melissa.
“Chuck Woolery was undeniably the Real Deal. Our 7 years as the original host and co-host of Wheel of Fortune were magical,” Susan Stafford, former host and co-host of “Wheel of Fortune,” said in a statement. Fox News.
“Our deep friendship has continued after our time on the show,” the statement continued. “He was the first. There is no one like Chuck. He had so much energy and was the same caring and loving person that he was when he left the stage. He had a holy spirit and we shared a true love for God that made it even more meaningful. .I am so thankful to know that I will see him again.”
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Game show host Chuck Woolery attends the Meow Mix Think Like a Cat Game Show Premiere on November 12, 2008, in Hollywood, California. (Getty Images)
Woolery was inducted into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame in 2007 and was nominated for a daytime Emmy in 1978.
In 1983, Woolery began an 11-year run as host of “Love Connection,” during which he coined the phrase, “We’ll be back in two minutes and two seconds.” In 1984, he began hosting “Scrabble,” simultaneously hosting both game shows until 1990.
Other appearances include “Lingo,” “Greed” and “The Chuck Woolery Show,” as well as a short-lived revival of “The Dating Game” from 1998 to 2000. In 1992, he starred in two episodes of “Melrose Place.”
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Chuck Woolery at the “Game Show Networks 2003 Winter TCA Tour” at the Renaissance Hotel in Los Angeles, California, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2003. (Getty Images)
Woolery was the subject of the Game Show Network’s first attempt at a reality show, “Chuck Woolery: Naturally Stoned,” which premiered in 2003 and ran for six episodes.
Woolery began her TV career on “Wheel of Fortune,” which premiered on Jan. 6, 1975, on NBC.
“Wheel of Fortune” began life as “Shopper’s Bazaar.” After Woolery appeared on “The Merv Griffin Show” singing “Delta Dawn,” Griffin asked to host a new show with Stafford.
NBC initially passed, but they changed it to “Wheel of Fortune” and it was approved. After a few years, Woolery asked for a raise to $500,000 a year, whatever host Peter Marshall was making on “Hollywood Squares.” Griffin declined the offer and replaced Woolery with Pat Sajak, who he and Vanna White, are often associated with the show.
Chuck Woolery performs at the “Game Show Networks 2003 Winter TCA Tour” at the Renaissance Hotel in Los Angeles, California, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2003. (Getty Images)
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Woolery, who was born in Ashland, Kentucky, served in the US Army before attending college. He played double bass in a folk trio before starting a psychedelic rock duo, Avant-Garde, in 1967 while working as a truck driver to support himself as a musician.
After his TV career, Woolery began podcasting. He told the New York Times that he described himself as a gun-rights, conservative-libertarian and constitutional activist, noting that he did not reveal his politics in liberal Hollywood for fear of reprisal.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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