Original ‘Wheel Of Fortune’ Host Was 83

Game show veteran Chuck Woolery who hosted the original versions of Wheel Of Fortune and Love Connection, died Nov. 23. He was 83.

Woolery’s passing was announced on X by his longtime friend and Blunt Forth Truth podcast co-host Mark Young.

“It is with a broken heart that I tell you that my dear brother @chuckwoolery has just passed away,” he wrote. “Life will not be the same without him.”

Young told TMZ that Woolery died at his Texas home after experiencing trouble breathing.

Woolery, who started his career as a singer and was half of pop duo The Avant-Garde, was hired as Wheel Of Fortune host when the show first launched in 1975. After hosting the program for six years, he was replaced by Pat Sajak.

Love Connection also launched in 1983 with Woolery as its first host, a job he held for 11 years. Other game shows he has hosted/co-hosted through the years include Scrabble (1984–1990 and its short-lived 1993 revival), Home & Family (1996–1998), The Dating Game (1997–1999), Greed (1999–2000), and Lingo (2002–2007). He also hosted his own talk show, The Chuck Woolery Show, which had a brief run in 1991.

Woolery guest starred as himself on a number of series, including It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, Melrose Place, Sister, Sister and Scrubs.

In 2012, he began hosting a nationally syndicated radio show, Save Us Chuck Woolery. Two years later, it morphed into a podcast which was retitled Blunt Force Truth.

Known for his conservative views, Woolery found himself in multiple controversies over the past decade involving such subjects as Covid and antisemitism.