Chuck Woolery, original host of 'Wheel of Fortune,' dead at 83
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- Chuck Woolery died on Saturday, November 23 at the age of 83.
- The legendary game show star was best known as the original host of "Wheel of Fortune."
- Woolery became a conservative commentator and Trump supporter later in his life.
Chuck Woolery, the media personality best known for hosting the game shows "Wheel of Fortune" and "Love Connection," died on Saturday at the age of 83.
Woolery's friend and podcast co-host Mark Young said in a statement on X: "It is with a broken heart that I tell you that my dear brother has just passed away. Life will not be the same without him, RIP brother."
Young, who hosted the podcast "Blunt Force Truth" with Woolery, told the Associated Press that the star had died at his home in Texas with his wife present.
Born in Ashland, Kentucky, Woolery found early success in the music world after serving a stint in the US Navy.
In 1968, he scored a Top 40 hit with the song "Naturally Stoned" as part of a pop group called The Avant-Garde.
After failing to follow up the success as a solo artist, Woolery turned to acting in the 1970s.
However, it was through his role as the original host of the hugely popular game show "Wheel of Fortune" that he really made his name.
The NBC show, which premiered in 1975, earned Woolery a Daytime Emmy nomination. His six-year tenure on the show ended in 1981 following a pay dispute.
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Woolery was also known for his time on "Love Connection," where he coined the phrase, "We'll be back in two minutes and two seconds."
Across his career, he hosted several other shows on television and streaming platforms, including "Scrabble" and "Lingo." He was inducted into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame in 2007.
Later in life, Woolery became a vocal supporter of Donald Trump and often shared his political views on X.