Tragic Details Emerge About Death of ‘Price Is Right’ Host Bob Barker After He Passes Away At 99

The legendary “Price Is Right” host Bob Barker passed away on Saturday at the age of 99. Now, tragic new details about his passing have come to light.

Barker Passes Away At 99

Daily Mail reported that it was Barker’s longtime publicist Roger Neal who announced on Saturday that Barker had died just hours before.

“It is with profound sadness that we announce that the World’s Greatest MC who ever lived, Bob Barker, has left us,” Neal said.

It has since been revealed that Barker died of natural causes at his home in Hollywood Hills, California, where he had lived for decades.

Fans have since been shocked and dismayed to learn that there will be no funeral or memorial service for Barker. However, Neal has spoken out to assure them that this is in accordance with Barker’s wishes prior to his passing.

Barker will be laid to rest next to his beloved wife Dorothy Jo Gideon, his high school sweetheart who he was married to for 35 years before she tragically died of lung cancer in 1981 at the age of 57. Barker and Gideon did not have any children, and he never remarried.

In the 42 years that he survived Gideon, Barker visited her grave often, fondly describing her as his “treasured possession.”

“She was sitting on the veranda at the hotel where I worked,” Barker once told Entertainment Tonight. “There was a deck of cards there. She reached into the deck and pulled out the 10 of spades and she said, ‘Here, this will be your luck.’ And I’ve had this for 60 years and on the other side is Dorothy Jo.”

Barker’s Career

Barker got his start hosting “Truth or Consequences” in 1956. He took over as host of “The Price Is Right” in 1972, completely revitalizing a game show that had been on the decline for years. Barker continued hosting “The Price Is Right” until he retired in 2007, when he handed over hosting duties to Drew Carey, who still hosts the show to this day.

“Very sad day for ‘The Price Is Right’ family, and animal lovers all over the world,” Carey wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, after Barker’s death was announced.

“There hasn’t been a day on set that I didn’t think of Bob Barker and thank him. I will carry his memory in my heart forever,” he continued. “We love you ❤️.”

Related: Bob Barker Celebrates 99th Birthday As Longtime Girlfriend Gives Update On His Health

Barker’s Animal Rights Activism

Aside from being known as a game show host, Barker was also known for his animal rights activism, famously ending every episode of “The Price Is Right” by telling viewers, “Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered.”

In 1995, Barker founded the DJ&T Foundation, named after his wife Dorothy Jo and his mother Matilda, who went by the nickname Tilly. This charity helped to provide various types of services for pet owners.

When fur coats were being handed out as prizes on “The Price Is Right,” Barker recalled that he “went to [producer] Mark Goodson and told him I didn’t want to be on the stage with these fur coats.”

“So he took fur coats off our show,” he added.

Related: Bob Barker, 97-Year-Old Ex-‘Price Is Right’ Host, Discusses Show’s Legacy – ‘There Was Much To Love’

Barker Reflects On His Life 

Barker appears to have remained relatively healthy right up until the end of his life. In a 2021 interview, when he was 97 years-old, Barker gushed to People Magazine about how much he loved hosting “The Price Is Right.”

“I’m often asked what I loved most about my years with ‘Price,’ and the first thing that pops to mind is… the money, of course!” Barker said.

“All kidding aside, there was much to love,” he added. “I had the pleasure of working with a dedicated and talented cast and crew for 35 great years. Particularly close to my heart was the ability our vast popularity gave me to remind our entire audience daily about the importance of spaying and neutering your pets.”

Months before that, a friend of Barker’s told Closer Weekly that while the game show host was still enjoying life, he was also ready for whatever comes next.

“He’s not afraid,” the friend said. “I think he can’t wait for the day that he and Dorothy Jo are reunited.”

On Saturday, that day finally came.

Rest in peace, Bob Barker.