Entertainment
Iconic ‘Wheel Of Fortune’ Host Dies At 83
Legendary gameshow host Chuck Woolery, who played a key role in creating the network television staple “Wheel Of Fortune,” passed away on Saturday at the age of 83.
The iconic host passed away after experiencing breathing problems at his Texas home, Woolery’s longtime friend and podcast co-host Mark Young told TMZ. “It is with a broken heart that I tell you that my dear brother @chuckwoolery has just passed away. Life will not be the same without him, RIP brother,” Young wrote in an X post.
It is with a broken heart that I tell you that my dear brother @chuckwoolery has just passed away. Life will not be the same without him,RIP brother pic.twitter.com/OVPgG195RX
— Dr. Mark Young (@MarkYoungTruth) November 24, 2024
A native of Ashland, Kentucky, Woolery served two years in the U.S. Navy on board the USS Enterprise. He went on to attend Morehead State University, where he studied economics and sociology before dropping out to launch a career in show business.
Woolery started his career in the entertainment world as a musician. He played in a folk band, The Bordermen, as well as the psychedelic project Avant-Garde. With the latter group, Woolery produced a Billboard Top 40 hit with “Naturally Stoned” in 1968, the highlight of his music career that spanned five albums with Columbia records.
He also composed television commercial jingles and comedy acts before expanding the scope of his work.
Woolery then tried his hand at acting, securing a number of television roles before landing his breakout gig as the hist of NBC’s “Wheel Of Fortune” in 1975. Woolery pursued the “Wheel Of Fortune” job on advice from TV icon Merv Griffin, who saw Chuck perform on the “Tonight Show.”
He held down the role until 1981, when he was replaced by another legend in Pat Sajack, who retired earlier this year after hosting the show for four decades.
Woolery stayed active in the emerging game show business and landed a number of hosting gigs, including shows like “Love Connection,” “Scrabble,” “Lingo,” a revival of “The Dating Game.”
Woolery appears in his last “Wheel Of Fortune” episode in 1981
The iconic host was also a staunch conservative and supporter of Republican presidents from Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump. Staying with the times, Woolery frequently made his political opinions known on Twitter/X, where he racked up more than 130,000 posts over the years.
He found himself embroiled in the national conversation when then-President Trump retweeted one of his anti-COVID-19 lockdown posts in 2020. “The most outrageous lies are the ones about Covid 19. Everyone is lying,” Woolery posted in 2020. “The CDC, Media, Democrats, our Doctors, not all but most, that we are told to trust. I think it’s all about the election and keeping the economy from coming back, which is about the election. I’m sick of it.”
He later deleted his account on the social media site — though he would get his opinions across on his right-leaning syndicated radio commentary show, “Save Us Chuck Woolery.”
Towards the end of his career, Wooley co-hosted a podcast with Young called “Blunt Force Truths,” which mostly focused on politics and culture war issues from a conservative perspective.
Woolery is survived by his wife Kim and his children, Katherine, Melissa, Michael and Sean. Another son, Chad, passed away in 1986 as a result of a motorcycle accident.
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