Chuck Woolery, former game show host of “Wheel of Fortune,” “Love Connection” and “Scrabble,” has passed away at the age of 83.
Woolery passed away at his residence in Texas in the presence of his wife, Kristen, according to his friend and podcast co-host Mark Young who spoke to The Associated Press. Along with his wife, Woolery is survived by his sons Michael and Sean and his daughter Melissa.
“Chuck Woolery was undoubtedly the Real Deal. Our 7 years as the original host and hostess on Wheel of Fortune were like magic,” Susan Stafford, Chuck Woolery’s co-host on “Wheel of Fortune,” mentioned in a statement to Fox News.
“Our deep friendship persisted after our time on the show,” the statement continued. “He was an original. There was no one like Chuck. He had so much energy and was the same warm, caring, genuine person offstage as he was on. He was very spiritual and we shared a true love for God which made it even more worthwhile. So grateful to know 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 received a daytime Emmy nomination in 1978.
In 1983, Woolery began an 11-year tenure as host of “Love Connection,” during which time he coined the phrase, “We’ll be back in two minutes and two seconds.” In 1984, he started hosting “Scrabble,” concurrently hosting both game shows until 1990.
Other shows he hosted include “Lingo,” “Greed” and “The Chuck Woolery Show,” as well as the short-lived syndicated revival of “The Dating Game” from 1998 to 2000. In 1992, he played himself 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 initial attempt at a reality show, “Chuck Woolery: Naturally Stoned,” which premiered in 2003 and lasted six episodes.
Woolery kicked off his TV career on “Wheel of Fortune,” which debuted on Jan. 6, 1975, on NBC.
“Wheel of Fortune” initially began as “Shopper’s Bazaar.” After Woolery performed on “The Merv Griffin Show” singing “Delta Dawn,” Griffin requested that he host the new show with Stafford.
NBC initially declined, but upon changing it to “Wheel of Fortune,” they were given approval. After some time, Woolery asked for a raise to $500,000 per year, or what host Peter Marshall was earning on “Hollywood Squares.” Griffin refused the request and replaced Woolery with Pat Sajak, who, along with Vanna White, are commonly 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 U.S. Navy before attending college. He played double bass in a folk trio before forming the psychedelic rock duo, The Avant-Garde, in 1967 while he worked as a truck driver to support himself as a musician.
Following his TV career, Woolery ventured into podcasting. He described himself as a gun-rights activist, a conservative-libertarian, and constitutionalist, revealing that he refrained from sharing his politics in liberal Hollywood out of fear of backlash.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
