Bob Barker Dead at 99
The television industry has lost a legend.
Former The Price Is Right host Bob Barker passed away this morning, Aug. 26. He was 99 years old.
According to People, his rep Roger Neal confirmed that Barker passed peacefully at his Los Angeles home of natural causes.
"It is with profound sadness that we announce that the World’s Greatest MC who ever lived, Bob Barker, has left us," Neal noted in his announcement.
Barker, who retired from his longtime stint on The Price Is Right over 15 years ago, had a 50-year career on television. Not only did he host the CBS game show between 1972 and 2007, he served as host of Truth or Consequences from 1956 to 1975.
Over the course of his impressive career, Barker earned 14 Daytime Emmy awards.
Barker is survived by Nancy Burnet, his partner of nearly four decades. She also weighed in with a statement of her own, writing, "I am so proud of the trailblazing work Barker, and I did together to expose the cruelty to animals in the entertainment industry and including working to improve the plight of abused and exploited animals in the United States and internationally. We were great friends over these 40 yrs. He will be missed.”
In December 2022, ahead of Barker's 99th birthday, Burnet, 79, gave an update on the TV personality's health. "He takes one prescription medication and that's for his thyroid," she shared with Fox News. "That's it. So, he does not take anything for blood pressure, cholesterol, the umpteen other things that most people take as they grow older."
Burnet credited Barker's "charmed life" to a full vegan meal supplement that he took to compliment his longtime vegetarian diet. "He was looking tired and kind of frail, not just not looking healthy," she added. "And, you know, if you're going to be a vegetarian and vegan, you better know what you're doing."
However, Barker's plant-based diet stemmed from his longtime dedication to animal advocacy. "I became a vegetarian out of concern for animals," he told the Vegetarian Times in 2012, "and I was a vegetarian for a very long time before I realized that many people become vegetarians out of concern for their health. I think they are absolutely right. I think it is the healthiest way to live."
He added, "The answer to enjoying life is nutrition. I recommend that you become a vegetarian and exercise if you want to enjoy the golden years."
Next: ‘The Price Is Right’ Winner and Former NBA Player Is Too Big for the Car He Won