Bob Barker, former longtime host of ‘The Price Is Right,’ dead at 99
Aug 26, 2023, 11:28 AM
Iconic gameshow host Bob Barker died a the age of 99. (Wikimedia)
(Wikimedia)
(CNN) — Bob Barker, the “Price Is Right” host whose silky-smooth command, impish sense of humor and advocacy for animal welfare issues made him a beloved fixture on television for more than 35 years, has died. He was 99.
For 35 years, Barker was the host of the classic CBS game show that asks players to bid on such items as a pack of gum, a popcorn popper and a luggage lock in hopes of winning, as its announcers trumpet, “A BRAND NEW CAR!”
The show, which had a nine-year run in the ’50s and ‘60s with Bill Cullen, returned in 1972 with Barker. He stayed for 35 years, passing the mic to comedian Drew Carey in 2007.
Barker earned 19 Emmys and a lifetime achievement award in the process.
He attributed “The Price is Right’s” success to its fast pace and focus on the unvarnished personality of its contestants, who, unlike on other shows, were not pre-screened.
“I think television viewers like to see people just like they are up on the stage doing this stuff,” he told the Archive of American Television in 2000.
This story is developing.
