Game show host Chuck Woolery of ‘Wheel of Fortune’ and ‘Love Connection’ dies at 83

Chuck Woolery, ex game show the host of “Wheel of Fortune”, “Love Connection” and “Scrabble” has died at the age of 83.

Woolery died at his home in Texas in the presence of his wife, Kristen, and friend and podcast co-host Mark Young Associated Press. He and his wife Woolery are survived by sons Michael and Sean and daughter Melissa.

“Chuck Woolery is definitely the real deal. Our 7 years as the original host and hostess of Wheel of Fortune have been like magic,” Susan Stafford, who was Chuck Woolery’s co-host on Wheel of Fortune, said in a statement. Fox News.

“Our deep friendship continued after our appearance on the show,” the statement continued. “He was original. There was no one like Chuck. He had so much energy and was the same warm, caring, genuine person off stage as he was on stage. He was very spiritual and we shared a true love for God, which made it even more valuable “I’m grateful to see him again.”

Woolery was inducted into the American Game Show Hall of Fame in 2007 and won the award daytime Emmy nomination in 1978

In 1983, Woolery began an 11-year run as host of “Love Connection,” during which time he coined the phrase, “We’ll be back in two minutes and two seconds.” In 1984, he began hosting “Scrabble”, hosting both game shows simultaneously until 1990.

Other shows he hosted included “Lingo,” “Greed” and “The Chuck Woolery Show,” as well as a short-lived syndicated revival of “The Dating Game” from 1998 to 2000. In 1992, he played himself in two episodes of “Melrose Place.”

Woolery was the subject of the Game Show Network’s first taste of the reality series “Chuck Woolery: Naturally Stoned,” which premiered in 2003 and ran for six episodes.

Woolery began his television career with the series “Wheel of Fortune,” which premiered on January 6, 1975 on NBC.

The “Wheel of Fortune” began life as the “Shoppers’ Bazaar.” After Woolery appeared on “The Merv Griffin Show” singing “Delta Dawn,” Griffin asked to co-host the new show with Stafford.

NBC initially passed, but it was changed to “Wheel of Fortune” and was approved. After a few years, Woolery requested a raise to $500,000 a year, the amount host Peter Marshall was making on “Hollywood Squares.” Griffin declined this request and replaced Woolery with Pat Sajak, who, along with Vanna White, is most often associated with the series.

Woolery, born in Ashland, Kentucky, served in the U.S. Navy before college. He played double bass in a folk trio before forming the psychedelic rock duo The Avant-Garde in 1967, working as a truck driver to support himself as a musician.

Following his Television careerWoolery started recording podcasts. He told The New York Times that he described himself as a gun rights activist, conservative-libertarian and constitutionalist, noting that he had not revealed his politics in liberal Hollywood for fear of retribution.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Read more of this story from FOX News.