Longtime ‘Price is Right’ host Bob Barker died of Alzheimer’s disease, according to his death certificate, which was obtained by People Magazine.
Who is Bob Barker?
Barker — also a longtime animal rights activist — died last month at his home in Los Angeles, just four months shy of his 100th birthday.
What caused Bob Barker’s death?
According to the death certificate, Barker had been battling the disease for years. High blood pressure, hypothyroidism and high cholesterol were also listed as contributing factors.
Bob Barker’s biography
Barker was working in radio in 1956 when producer Ralph Edwards invited him to audition as the new host of ‘Truth or Consequences,’ a game show in which audience members had to do wacky stunts — the ‘consequence’— if they failed to answer a question.
Barker stayed with ‘Truth or Consequences’ for 18 years — including several years in a syndicated version.
Meanwhile, he began hosting a resurrected version of ‘The Price Is Right: in 1972.
It would become TV’s longest-running game show and the last on a broadcast network of what in TV’s early days had numbered dozens.
Barker retired from ‘Price is Right’ in June 2007, telling his studio audience: ‘I thank you, thank you, thank you for inviting me into your home for more than 50 years.
In all, he taped more than 5,000 shows in his career. He said he was retiring because ‘I’m just reaching the age where the constant effort to be there and do the show physically is a lot for me. … Better (to leave) a year too soon than a year too late.’
Comedian Drew Carey was chosen to replace him on ‘The Price is Right’.
Barker was given a lifetime achievement award at the 26th annual Daytime Emmy Awards in 1999.
He closed his acceptance remarks with the signoff: ‘Have your pets spayed or neutered.’
