Bob Barker was the Emmy Award-winning host of the long-running game show “The Price Is Right.”
- Died: August 26, 2023 (Who else died on August 26?)
- Details of death: Died at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 99.
- We invite you to share condolences for Bob Barker in our Guest Book.
Record-setting longevity
Barker got his start in radio, hosting “The Bob Barker Show”in Burbank, California. He moved to television as the host of “Truth or Consequences,” getting a taste of the game show hosting business before joining the show that would become his legacy, “The Price Is Right.”
He wasn’t the show’s first host – it had begun years before – but he became its iconic face, the man who helped contestants through pricing games and Showcase Showdowns from 1972 until his retirement in 2007. Barker handed out hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of prizes in his decades at the helm of “The Price Is Right,” and he oversaw the show’s transition from a half-hour run time to an hour, making it the first hourlong game show on TV.
Barker was there when it became the longest-running game show in TV history, surpassing his previous show, “Truth or Consequences,” in 1990. He won 19 Emmy Awards as a game show host, and he holds the record of oldest person to host a regularly scheduled game show – he was 83 1/2 when he retired.
Animal welfare activism
In addition to being a record-setting game show host, Barker was a devoted supporter of animal welfare. “The Price Is Right” fans are familiar with his weekly sign-off, “Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered.”
This call to action was just one facet of Barker’s activism – he was a vegetarian who supported groups including United Activists for Animal Rights, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Barker founded the DJ&T Foundation, which supports pet clinics that provide low-cost and free spaying and neutering. When he was the longtime host of the Miss USA/Universe pageants, Barker lobbied pageant organizers to discontinue giving fur coats as part of prize packages, and when they declined, he severed ties with the pageants.
Other work
Barker famously played himself in the movie “Happy Gilmore.” He hosted Rose Parade coverage for CBS, the “Pillsbury Bake-Off” and “The Bob Barker Fun and Games Show,” and he appeared as a guest on talk shows, sitcoms and soap operas. In 2013, he celebrated his 90th birthday by returning to “The Price Is Right,” hosted by his successor, Drew Carey.
Notable quotes
“How would I like to be remembered? As the man who said, ‘have your pets spayed or neutered.’” —from a 2000 interview with the Television Academy Foundation
Tributes to Bob Barker
Full obituary: The New York Times
