American television game show host Bob Barker has died at 99 as confirmed by his longtime publicist, Roger Neal.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce that the World’s Greatest MC who ever lived, Bob Barker has left us,” publicist Roger Neal said in a statement Saturday.
Who was Bob Barker?
Robert William Barker was born on December 12, 1923, and hailed from Darrington, Washington.
He trained as a US Navy fighter pilot during World War II, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1947 from Drury College (now University).
After his graduation, Barker began working at a radio station in California. He quickly got the attention of the man behind game show Truth or Consequences, Ralph Edwards.
In 1956, Barker became the host of the television series, working on the show until 1975.
Aside from his time spent on game shows, Barker was a well-known animal rights activist.
In 1994, he established the DJ&T Foundation to fund the sterilization of pets, and in 2009, he donated $5million to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
He was a 19-time Emmy Award winner, with five Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Game Show Host.
In 2004, Barker was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.
Bob Barker cause of death
The famous host reportedly passed away on the morning of Saturday, August 26, 2023, in his home due to natural causes.
He was 99 at the time of his death.
His publicist Roger Neal said in a statement: “It is with profound sadness that we announce that the World’s Greatest MC who ever lived, Bob Barker has left us.”
Bob Barker funeral
When is Bob Barker funeral?
Bob Barker will not have a funeral and there won’t be a memorial service.
In a statement to ET, the late TV personality’s rep, Roger Neal, said it was the former Price Is Right host’s request that he not have a funeral or memorial service.
Neal also told ET that Bob Barker will be laid to rest next to his wife, Dorothy Jo Gideon, at Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills.
Bob Barker and Dorothy Jo Gideon were high school sweethearts. They were married for 35 years before she died of lung cancer in 1981. The couple had no children and Barker never remarried.
Bob Barker once referred to her as his most “treasured possession” while reminiscing about their first meeting.
“She was sitting on the Veranda at the hotel where I worked,” Barker once shared with ET. “There was a deck of cards there. She reached into the deck and pulled out the 10 of spades and she said, ‘Here, this will be your luck.’ And I’ve had this for 60 years and on the other side is Dorothy Jo.”
Bob Barker scored his big break in 1972 when The Price is Right premiered on CBS. The game show made a triumphant return to television after its predecessor (which was hosted by Bill Cullen) ended in 1963. With Barker as host, The Price is Right became one of the longest-running game shows in history.
Bob Barker retired from the Price Is Right in 2007. He spent his final years mostly out of the spotlight.
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