(DailyChive.com) – Chuck Woolery, the iconic game show host best known for hosting “Wheel of Fortune,” “Love Connection,” and “Scrabble,” has passed away at 83. He died at his home in Texas, surrounded by his wife, Kristen, according to Mark Young, his friend and podcast co-host. Woolery is survived by his children Michael, Sean, and Melissa. He died at his home in Texas, surrounded by his wife, Kristen, according to Mark Young, his friend and podcast co-host.
Susan Stafford, his co-host on the original “Wheel of Fortune,” paid tribute to Woolery. “Chuck Woolery was without a doubt the real deal,” Stafford said. “Our time together as the original host and hostess was magical. He was the same warm, caring person offstage as he was onstage. We shared a deep love for God, and I’m grateful to know I’ll see him again.”
Born in Ashland, Kentucky, Woolery served in the U.S. Navy before pursuing a career in entertainment. In the 1960s, he played double bass in a folk trio and later formed the psychedelic rock duo, The Avant-Garde, while working as a truck driver to support himself.
Woolery began his TV career in 1975 as the first host of “Wheel of Fortune,” which was initially called “Shopper’s Bazaar.” After singing “Delta Dawn” on “The Merv Griffin Show,” Griffin invited him to host the game show alongside Stafford. Despite its early success, Woolery left in 1981 over a salary dispute and was replaced by Pat Sajak.
In 1983, Woolery became the host of “Love Connection,” where he coined the famous phrase, “We’ll be back in two minutes and two seconds.” He also hosted “Scrabble” starting in 1984, juggling both shows until 1990. Woolery’s other TV credits include “Lingo,” “Greed,” and “The Chuck Woolery Show.” He also appeared in two episodes of “Melrose Place” and starred in the reality show “Chuck Woolery: Naturally Stoned” in 2003.
In 2007, Woolery was inducted into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame and earned a daytime Emmy nomination in 1978.
Later in life, Woolery turned to podcasting, where he openly discussed his conservative-libertarian views and advocacy for gun rights. He once told The New York Times he avoided sharing his politics during his TV career out of concern for backlash in Hollywood.
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