Wink Martindale dead at 91: Iconic game show host of Tic-Tac-Dough passes away

Famed game show host Wink Martindale, who presided over TV hits such as Tic-Tac-Dough, High Rollers and Gambit, died at 91 on Tuesday at his Rancho Mirage, California home.

Martindale was ‘surrounded by family and his beloved wife of 49 years, Sandra Martindale,’ his spokesperson said, according to Deadline.

His career spanned more than seven decades, as he began working with a stint in radio in his Jackson, Tennessee hometown.

Martindale, whose full name was Winston Conrad ‘Wink’ Martindale, had also worked as a disk jockey in Memphis, the outlet reported. 

The TV personality’s family said he was involved in the first time Elvis Presley’s music was featured on the radio while working at the WHBQ station, Deadline reported.

‘Wink was the last living witness to “Presleymania” and the birth of Rock & Roll,’ a press release said. 

‘He was so nervous about his record being played on the air that he’d gone to the theater,’ Martindale remembered about Presley’s visit during a Television Academy Foundation interview in 2018. 

‘They found him sitting there by himself and brought him to the station. Dewey put him in front of a microphone and just started talking to him. So I met Elvis that night. He became my friend and he continued to be my friend until the day he died.’ 

After hosting mornings at KHJ in Los Angeles, Martindale worked at KRLA (1959), KFWB (1962), KGIL-AM (1968-1971), KKGO-FM/KJQI and KMPC (Gene Autry’s station) during 1971-1979 and 1983-1987, KABC (1989), and finally KJQI (1993-1994). 

Martindale’s early TV roles included hosting Mars Patrol and Teenage Dance Party, which featured Elvis on June 16, 1956.

Martindale’s game show career began with NBC’s What’s This Song? (1964-1965) and included hosting popular programs like Gambit, Tic-Tac-Dough, and Trivial Pursuit.

Besides hosting Headline Chasers, Martindale was also a producer for the show.