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Chuck Woolery passed away on Saturday at his home in Horseshoe Bay, Texas. He was the friendly host of “Love Connection,” “Wheel of Fortune,” and other game programs on television. Later, as a co-host of a well-known right-wing podcast, he attacked liberal principles and the Democratic Party. He was eighty-three.
Mark Young, who co-hosts his podcast, “Blunt Force Truth,” verified his death. He didn’t say what caused it.
Mr. Woolery was the first host of “Wheel of Fortune,” one of the oldest game programs on television, in the late 1970s. Additionally, he was chosen to host the dating program “Love Connection” in the early 1980s, which contributed to his rise to fame.
Mr. Woolery moved with effortless charm through exchanges with candidates that could be both charming and humorous on a stage covered in red and pink cutout hearts.
Sometimes he was a swaying Cupid, and other times he was a referee as competitors jostled over who was whining or who hadn’t eaten dinner.
In an interview with journalist Adam Wurtzel in 2020, Mr. Woolery stated, “I felt more like the audience.” “What questions might the audience have? How would the audience react?
He went on to host a number of word-related game programs, including “Scrabble,” “Lingo,” and “Greed,” which was a version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” with teams and larger cash rewards.
Mr. Woolery went against the system that had made him famous after cofounding his program in 2014. His remark targeted the Democratic Party, Hollywood, and the public health establishment’s coronavirus propaganda.
The son of Dan and Katherine Woolery, Charles Herbert Woolery was born in Ashland, Kentucky, on March 16, 1941. His dad was a Coca-Cola distributor. Chuck Woolery was in the Navy for two years after high school and then took odd jobs.
He relocated to Los Angeles in the hopes of becoming an actor or musician, but those dreams didn’t materialize right away.
In the 2020 interview, he admitted, “I had no idea what I was doing.” “I was broke. I was planning to live there for a while, and I had a car.
He soon made appearances on children’s programs including “New Zoo Revue.” Additionally, he was a part of the Avant-Garde, a psychedelic rock duet whose 1968 single “Naturally Stoned” reached the Top 40. (As a solo artist, Mr. Woolery went on to have multiple singles on country music charts.)
Mr. Griffin enjoyed his magnetism when he performed on the “Merv Griffin Show” and advised him to approach some business associates about hosting a game show.
“I thought, ‘A game show host,’ that’s the guy who doesn’t give a damn about what you have to say and has a bad mustache and a bad jacket.” Mr. Woolery stated. “I said, ‘No, but I’d like to think about it,’ right away.”
His first attempt at the genre served as the basis for a lengthy career; he hosted the first “Wheel of Fortune” episode in 1975 and remained in that position until 1981, when he was fired following a contentious contract dispute. After taking over, Pat Sajak hosted the program for forty years.
Mr. Woolery talked respectfully and maybe regretfully about his stint on “Wheel of Fortune” on Fox News in 2016.
“I should have stayed,” he remarked, adding that “I wouldn’t have had a career if it weren’t for Merv.”
Despite losing the opportunity to host “Wheel of Fortune,” Mr. Woolery went on to make money for the Game Show Network.
He created his signature “two and two” sign-off before the commercial break on “Love Connection” to indicate that there were two minutes and two seconds between each section. To calm the audience, he adopted a self-deprecating onstage character.
In the interview, he stated, “Game show hosts are expected to be flawless, but we’re not.”
Mr. Woolery had hosted game shows for over 20 years by the time “Greed” debuted in 1999. His other programs included a revival of “The Dating Game” and “The Chuck Woolery Show.”
He adopted a more aggressive stance as co-host of the conservative podcast “Blunt Force Truth,” which promoted right-wing viewpoints on politics, morals, and celebrity.
Mr. Woolery stated on the show in 2023, “You’re just not welcome if you’re not all-in on government and all-in on what this leftist, far-left Democratic Party is up to.”
Mr. Woolery drew the attention of President-elect Donald J. Trump during his first term. Known for being vocal on Twitter, Mr. Woolery stated in a July 2020 post: “The lies concerning COVID-19 are the most ludicrous.” Everyone is telling lies.
The comment was retweeted by Mr. Trump, and Mr. Woolery expressed his pride on his podcast.
“Covid-19 is real and it is here,” Mr. Woolery tweeted again after his son tested positive for the coronavirus that same month. (His son became better.)
Mr. Woolery, who has been married multiple times, is survived by his three children, Michael, Melissa, and Sean, as well as his wife, Kristen. In 1986, a motorcycle accident in Los Angeles claimed the life of a son named Chad. Katherine, a daughter, also passed away.
Mr. Woolery relocated from California to Horseshoe Bay, a lakeside city northwest of Austin, as he grew increasingly disenchanted with Hollywood and more active in national conservative politics.
It could be difficult to forget the world that molded him, though.
He described Horseshoe Bay as “like Bel Air on the lake.”
Yan Zhuang helped with the reporting.
