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Chuck Woolery Dead: ‘Love Connection,’ ‘Lingo’ and Original ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Host Dies at 83
Chuck Woolery, who was known for hosting various game shows over the years, is dead at the age of 83 years old. He passed away at home on Saturday, November 23.
“It is with a broken heart that I tell you my dear brother @chuckwoolery has just passed away,” Mark Young, a longtime friend who cohosted a podcast with Woolery, wrote on X. “Life will not be the same without him, RIP brother.”
He also confirmed the news to the Associated Press on Sunday, November 24, adding in an email to the outlet, “Chuck was a dear friend and brother and a tremendous man of faith, life will not be the same without him.”
Mark was at Woolery’s house when the former game show host said he wasn’t feeling well and needed to lie down, according to TMZ. A “short while later,” Woolery reportedly said he was having trouble breathing. Although 911 was called, he “did not make it,” the site reported.
Woolery was the inaugural host of Wheel of Fortune when it premiered in 1975. However, he left the show in 1981 because he could not come to a contract agreement with producers. That’s when he was replaced with Pat Sajak, who hosted Wheel for 41 years before leaving in June and being succeeded by Ryan Seacrest.
“If I wouldn’t have left Wheel of Fortune, I’d be making about $10 million a year right now,” Woolery reflected in a 2003 interview with The New York Times while speaking of his regret about his departure.
Prior to his time on Wheel, Woolery briefly pursued a music career and was a member of the band The Avant-Garde. They earned one Top 40 hit with the song “Naturally Stoned” during their time as a group. Woolery also released several solo albums and briefly took a stab at acting.
Despite things not working out on Wheel of Fortune, Woolery went on to have success as he continued hosting other game shows. He was the host of the original version of Love Connection from 1983 until 1994, helping singles make relationship connections and following their stories for viewers. His other hosting duties included shows like Scrabble, The Big Spin, The Dating Game, Greed and Lingo. He also had a short-lived talk show in 1991 called The Chuck Woolery Show, and had a reality show with his family on Game Show Network in 2003, although it only lasted for one season.
At the time of his death, Woolery was married to Kim Barnes, whom he wed in 2006. She was his fourth wife. He was previously married to Margaret Hayes from 1963 until 1970. They had three children together, but their son Chad died in a motorcycle accident when he was just 19 years old.
After his divorce from Margaret, Woolery married Jo Ann Pflug in 1972. They had a daughter, Melissa, and split in 1980. He then wed Teri Nelson in 1984. They were together for 20 years before divorcing in 2004 and had two sons.
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