Game show host Wink Martindale has died at 91. He hosted such classic game shows as Tic-Tac-Dough, High Rollers, and Gambit.
A cause of death was not given by his family, who shared the news with Deadline, though they said that he was “surrounded by family and his beloved wife of 49 years, Sandra Martindale.”
Wink Martindale interviewed Elvis Presley in 1956
Martindale, who was born in 1933 in Tennessee, started out as a radio DJ before transitioning to a career in television. In the 1950s, he worked at WHBQ in Memphis, which led to Elvis Presley giving his first-ever first television interview in 1956 on Martindale’s show, Top Ten Dance Party, noted the AP.
“Colonel Parker never forgave me for having Elvis on the show for free that day,” Martindale recalled in an interview with the Television Academy, adding that the “interview has followed me my entire career.”
In 1964, Martindale began his career in game shows, hosting What’s This Song? on NBC. He hosted Gambit starting in 1972 and Tic-Tac-Dough from 1978 to 1985. His many other hosting credits include Dream Girl of ‘67, Instant Recall, Trivial Pursuit, High Rollers, Bumper Stumpers, and Headline Chasers.
In his conversation with the Television Academy, Martindale also reflected on his long history with game shows.
“Once I got into the world of games, I just seemed to glide from one to other,” he recalled. “One would go off the air after a while and I’d start a new one. And that was fine with me. I never looked down on the idea that I was a ‘game show host.’”
Martindale died at Eisenhower Health in Rancho Mirage, Calif. He is survived by his second wife as well as his children from his first marriage, Lisa, Madelyn, and Laura. His son, Wink Jr., preceded him in death.
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