Legendary game show host Chuck Woolery – best known as the first host of ‘Wheel of Fortune’ – has passed away… TMZ has confirmed.
Chuck’s longtime friend and podcast cohost Mark Young tells TMZ … he was at Chuck’s home in Texas when Chuck said he wasn’t feeling well and lay down.
It is with a broken heart that I tell you this, my dear brother @chuckwolery has just died. Life won’t be the same without him, RIP brother pic.twitter.com/OVPgG195RX
—Dr. Mark Young (@MarkYoungTruth) November 24, 2024
@MarkYoungTruth
A short time later he came back to the room and said he was having trouble breathing. 911 was called, but Woolery didn’t make it.
Game show fans will know Chuck’s work well… with Woolery’s big break coming in 1975 when he became the first host of ‘Wheel of Fortune’.
He hosted the show until 1981, when he left due to a salary dispute Pat Sajak took over the job. He then hosted “Love Connection,” “Scrabble,” and a revival of “The Dating Game.”
Woolery has appeared as himself in a number of different TV shows over the years, including the movie “Cold Feet” and the sitcoms “227” and “Scrubs.” He also had a minor music career, mainly playing country.
We last caught up with Chuck in 2016… and we asked him a bunch of questions about the game show world.
Chuck is survived by his wife Kim and his children Katherine, Melissa, Michael and Sean. He was 83.
TEAR