Chuck Woolery dead at 83: Legendary game show host was known for Wheel Of Fortune and The Dating Game

Chuck Woolery passed away at the age of 83 at his home in Texas on Saturday, his longtime friend Mark Young has confirmed. 

The beloved television personality, who was best known for being the very first to host Wheel of Fortune, died suddenly while Young was visiting him at his home. 

‘It is with a broken heart that I tell you that my dear brother has just passed away,’ Young wrote in an emotional tribute on X, formerly Twitter. ‘Life will not be the same without him, RIP brother.’ 

While he circumstances around Woolery’s death are not yet known, Young told TMZ that the actor was not feeling well and went to lie down.

Young, who co-hosted the Blunt Force Truth podcast with his late friend, said Woolery later returned to the room to tell him that he was having trouble breathing.

Young told the outlet it was then he called 911 but Woolery did not make it. 

Woolery was best known for being the original host of Wheel of Fortune from 1975 to 1981. 

After nearly a decade, he went on to exit the show to pursue other endeavors and passed the torch to Pat Sajak, who took over until 2024. 

Additionally, Woolery was also the host for game shows, such as Love Connection, Scrabble, Greed and Lingo. 

He also dabbled in music and created several advertising jingles and even charted with a top 40 hit with pop duo The Avant Garde. 

Over the years, the actor also made appearances as himself on screen including in the 2018 movie Cold Feet as well as the sitcoms 227 and Scrubs. 

Woolery is survived by his wife Kim Woolery and children — Katherine, Melissa, Michael and Sean. 

The beloved television personality, who was best known for being the very first to host Wheel of Fortune, died suddenly while Young was at visiting him at his home; pictured March 2015 in Beverly Hills

‘It is with a broken heart that I tell you that my dear brother has just passed away,’ Young wrote in an emotional tribute on X, formerly Twitter . ‘Life will not be the same without him, RIP brother’

While he circumstances around Woolery’s death are not yet known, Young told TMZ that the actor was not feeling well and went to lie down. Young, who co-hosted the Blunt Force Truth podcast with his late friend, said Woolery later returned to the room to tell him that he was having trouble breathing. Young told the outlet it was then he called 911 but Woolery did not make it

Woolery was best known for being the original host of Wheel of Fortune from 1975 to 1981; pictured 1978 in portrait

Over the years, the actor also made appearances as himself on screen including in the 2018 movie Cold Feet as well as the sitcoms 227 and Scrubs; pictured June 2007 in Austin