Bob Barker, a host of game shows, passed away at the age of 99.
“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.
The longest-running host of The Price Is Right on CBS, Barker had a career that lasted over eight decades. He surpassed Johnny Carson’s mark for uninterrupted appearances on a single network TV show in 2002.
When Richard Nixon was the president, Barker started presenting The Price is Right. Before retiring in 2007, he had worked on the program for 35 years. The host, who was then in his 80s, continued to record five episodes each week even as he neared the conclusion of his career.
Even though Barker was looking forward to retirement, getting ready to tape that final program wasn’t simple, he admitted during a press conference on his last day.
“I really had myself worked up in an emotional state,” he said, “and I thought, I’ve got to go over there and do this show — straighten yourself out, Barker!”
Barker was raised on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota, where his mother taught school, where he was born in 1923. He never imagined that his future profession would entail cake makeup, the harsh light from cameras, or activities like Plinko and Cliffhanger.
“I wanted to pitch for the Saint Louis Cardinals. That was my dream,” Barker said. “And the only thing that prevented it was a total lack of talent.”
Barker, on the other hand, contributed to the war effort. Despite never having participated in combat, he was a Navy fighter pilot. He returned after the war to complete his education and accepted a position as a radio host in Los Angeles. He eventually got his big break from it, and his next position was anchoring Truth or Consequences on television.
That job lasted 18 years, which is twice as long as the typical TV star’s career, and for Barker, it was simply a warm-up.
His performance on The Price Is Right solidified his notoriety. Beginning in 1972, everyone’s living rooms had Barker’s face, from little elderly ladies to school-aged children who were home ill. Even college students who claimed to plan their classes around the event developed a fan base for him.
Fans liked the show’s straightforward structure, which saw regular individuals attempting to guess the prices of everyday items like Windex and washing machines. Over the course of four decades, little changed on the program. Except for one occasion, when Barker stopped dyeing his hair, neither did the host.
His hair turned from being dark to becoming white seemingly over night. One of Price Is Right’s most talked-about occasions ever.
His performance on The Price Is Right solidified his notoriety. Beginning in 1972, everyone’s living rooms had Barker’s face, from little elderly ladies to school-aged children who were home ill. Even college students who claimed to plan their classes around the event developed a fan base for him.
Fans liked the show’s straightforward structure, which saw regular individuals attempting to guess the prices of everyday items like Windex and washing machines. Over the course of four decades, little changed on the program. Except for one occasion, when Barker stopped dyeing his hair, neither did the host. His hair turned from being dark to becoming white seemingly over night. One of Price Is Right’s most talked-about occasions ever.
“The audience just gasped,” Barker said. “And I got a card from a man in the Midwest. He said, ‘Bob, you must have had one hell of a night!’ “
As a pop culture figure, Barker scored small-screen parts and cameos on shows like Family Guy and Futurama. In the Happy Gilmore movie from 1996, he portrayed himself. In one scene, Barker, a real-life black belt in karate, gives Adam Sandler, the movie’s lead, a memorable lesson by knocking him out after a battle on the golf course.
“They were talking about making Happy Gilmore 2, and Adam’s doctor said that he didn’t think Adam could take another beating like I gave him,” Barker once said.
Former Price is Right model Dian Parkinson filed a lawsuit against Barker for sexual harassment in 1994. Parkinson eventually abandoned the complaint when the host insisted that what he called a “affair” was consensual.
Barker utilized his prominence to advance his ardent belief in animal welfare. After hosting the Miss USA and Miss Universe Pageants for 21 years, Barker resigned in 1988 after the producers insisted that fur coats not be included in prize packages.
In his senior years, Barker contributed significant sums to numerous law schools to support the study of animal rights. He also founded and endowed a foundation that funds spaying and neutering programs across the United States.
He always said the same thing at the end of The Price Is Right to urge viewers to help reduce the number of pets in the country. Have your pet fixed or spayed.
Barker won more than a dozen Emmy awards and twice received Guinness World Records’ title of “Most Durable Performer” in television.
The Cardinals from Saint Louis were unaware of their shortcomings.
