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

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

The beloved TV personality, best known for being the very first host of 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,’ Young wrote in an emotional tribute on X, fv. Twitter. “Life won’t be the same without him, RIP bro.”

While the circumstances surrounding Woolery’s death are not yet known, Young said TMZ that the actor was not feeling well and went to bed.

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

Young told the outlet that’s when he called 911, but Woolery didn’t make it.

Chuck Woolery died at the age of 83 at his home in Texas on Saturday, his longtime friend Mark Young has confirmed; pictured September 2006 in Los Angeles

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

After nearly a decade, he proceeded to leave the show to pursue other endeavors, passing the torch to Pat Sajak, who took over until 2024.

In addition, Woolery also hosted game shows such as Love Connection, Scrabble, Greed and Lingo.

He also dabbled in music, creating several advertising jingles and even scoring a Top 40 hit with pop duo The Avant Garde.

Over the years, the actor also appeared as himself on screen, including in the 2018 film 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, best known for being the very first host of Wheel of Fortune, died suddenly while Young was visiting him at his home; pictured March 2015 in Beverly Hills

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

While the circumstances surrounding Woolery’s death are not yet known, Young told TMZ that the actor was not feeling well and was lying down. Young, who co-hosted the Blunt Force Truth podcast with his late friend, said Woolery later returned to the room to tell him he was having trouble breathing. Young told the outlet that’s when he called 911, but Woolery didn’t 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 appeared as himself on screen, including in the 2018 film Cold Feet as well as the sitcoms 227 and Scrubs; pictured June 2007 in Austin