Bob Barker, who was known for hosting ‘The Price is Right’ died on Saturday at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 99, informed publicist Roger Neal in a statement.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce that the World’s Greatest MC who ever lived, Bob Barker has left us,” said Neal.
‘The Price is Right’ is the longest running game show on American Television that Barker was hosting it since 1972 and continued for 35 year before officially retiring in 2007.
Barker broke Johnny Carson’s record in 2002 for continuous performances on the same network TV show. Even after the retirement, the then 80-year-old was hosting five shows a week.
With Barker hosting the ‘The Price is Right’—both the show and host cemented history in the world of television.
Robert Thompson, the director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University, talked about the immense success of the iconic game show host said, “Barker became an iconic game show host was the sheer length of his career. Barker spent more than half a century on TV, taking over as host of the popular “Truth or Consequences” in 1956 and retiring from “The Price Is Right” in 2007”.
Thompson attributed his success to Barker’s ability to interact with regular people on the show who were selected as contestants, which got him recognition and popularity among viewers.
Born in 1923 in Darrington, Washington, Barker started his career as a Radio show host in Los Angeles before having his big breakthrough as host of a show title ‘TV’s Truth or Consequences’.
Barker lost his father at a very early childhood and moved to Missouri with his mother, Matilda, as she remarried. He completed his graduation in economics from Drury College, now Drury University after serving in the Navy for two-years at the tail end of World War II.
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