Chuck Woolery, known for his work on Love Connection, Wheel of Fortune, Lingo, Scrabble, and other game shows, passed away on November 23, 2024, at the age of 83. Following high school, he served in the U.S. Navy for two years in the early 1960s aboard the USS Enterprise, CVN-65. CVN-65 was the first ever nuclear-powered U.S. Naval aircraft carrier that served well into the 21st century. After getting out of the Navy and before hitting it big in the game show world he had many different jobs, one of which was a professional wine consultant then as a singer and double bassist in The Bordermen, which was a folk band. He moved on to singing in a more psychedelic 60s-style band with an apropos name, The Avant-Garde, where he paired with fellow singer Bubba Fowler and made a Top 40 single called Naturally Stoned. Woolery sang into the early 70s doing five more albums with many singles but not really any success.
Woolery moved closer to his game show icon status by becoming an actor. He worked in some productions, none of which were blockbusters or highly acclaimed series, with such projects as New Zoo Revue, Love, American Style, The Treasure of Jamaica Reef, and The Prize, all in the 1970s. He turned back to singing again in the late 70s with more success than he had as an actor with some country songs such as Painted Lady and The Greatest Love Affair. He had a few more low single hits in the late 70s and co-wrote a song for country music superstar Tammy Wynette for her album We Sure Can Love Each Other. He hosted Wheel of Fortune from 1975 to 1981 until he priced himself out of the market. He was replaced by fellow veteran, Pat Sajak, who served in the Army in Vietnam. Woolery wanted a salary similar to Bob Barker and Richard Dawson, two other big game show hosts at the time, but the network and game show mogul Merv Griffin didn’t see it the same way. Griffin had given Woolery the job on Wheel of Fortune. Woolery moved on to greener pastures as Sajak and Vanna White found stardom with Wheel of Fortune.
Woolery moved on to hosting the Love Connection and Scrabble in the 1980s and 1990s. He played himself on such hit shows on CHiPs, It’s Garry Shandling Show and 227. In the 90s, Woolery hosted The Dating Game, Greed, and Home & Family. He had a short-lived talk show in the 90s, too. He also made more guest appearances as himself on Melrose Place, Scrubs and The Cleveland Show during the 2010s. Woolery hosted a podcast in the mid 2010s which started as a YouTube video. He was most recently featured in a documentary for ABC News called The Game Show Show, which was about game show history in the U.S. He hosted the 80s Quiz Show, which featured 80s pop culture in June 2024.
He was most recently living in Horseshoe Bay, Texas, with his fifth wife. His career ended with 19 acting credits and 14 hosting credits.