LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 22: Host of the Game Show Network Show, Lingo Chuck Woolery poses on the set October 22, 2003 in Los Angeles California. (Photo by Carlo Allegri/Getty Images for the Game Show Network)
Chuck Woolery, a prominent entertainment figure as a game show host, musician and later a controversial podcaster, has died at the age of 83. His death was confirmed by his podcast cohost and friend Mark Young in a social media post.
“It is with a broken heart that I tell you that my dear brother @chuckwoolery has just passed away,” Young shared on X. “Life will not be the same without him. RIP, brother.”
Woolery became a household name as the host of the dating show Love Connection, which ran from 1983 to 1994, and was also the original host of Wheel of Fortune before Pat Sajak took over the role. His career in entertainment spanned decades, evolving from music to television to political podcasting.
Born Charles Herbert Woolery in Ashland, Kentucky, on March 16, 1941, he served two years in the U.S. Navy before pursuing a career in entertainment. Woolery first found success in music as part of the psychedelic pop duo the Avant-Garde, who had a hit in 1968 with “Naturally Stoned.”
The song later inspired the title of his 2003 reality series, Chuck Woolery: Naturally Stoned.
Following the breakup of the Avant-Garde in 1969, Woolery transitioned to country music during the 1970s. He released his own songs and also wrote for other artists, including Pat Boone and Tammy Wynette, for whom he penned “The Joys of Being a Woman” in 1971.
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Woolery’s move into television came after an appearance on The Merv Griffin Show, where host Merv Griffin selected him to helm Wheel of Fortune. Woolery hosted the popular game show from 1975 to 1981, earning a Daytime Emmy nomination in 1978. A salary dispute led to his replacement by Sajak, but Woolery quickly rebounded with Love Connection in 1983. The dating show became a cultural phenomenon, allowing audience members to help contestants choose romantic matches from a pool of three candidates. The format predated modern dating apps, and the show ran successfully until 1994, with several subsequent revivals.
During his career, Woolery also hosted Scrabble (1984–1990, with a brief revival in 1993), Greed (1999–2000), and Lingo (2002–2007). His contributions to the genre earned him an induction into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame in 2007.
In later years, Woolery transitioned from television to radio and eventually podcasting. In 2014, he cohosted the right-wing podcast Blunt Force Truth with Mark Young. Known for his outspoken conservative views, Woolery often promoted controversial ideas, including conspiracy theories about COVID-19.
His perspective on the pandemic shifted after his son contracted the virus.
Woolery is survived by his wife, two sons, and a daughter.
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