In his more than 30 years as emcee of “The Price is Right,” Bob Barker changed in only one appreciable way: He stopped dyeing his hair in the early 1990s, two decades into the game show’s long and storied run.
Nearly everything else about Barker – his tanned and lithe looks, his avuncular ease with contestants, his witty rapport with the audience – remained the same. Even the CBS set where “Price” had been taped five times a week beginning in 1972 didn’t change much: the same mustard-avocado-and-tangerine color scheme, the same Smithsonian-worthy Showcase Showdown wheel.
Barker has died at the age of 99, according to his publicist Roger Neal.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce that the World’s Greatest MC who ever lived, Bob Barker has left us,” Neal said in a statement.
In a town where longevity is rare, Barker broke records for stamina. As “Price,” which became synonymous with Barker, emerged as TV’s longest-running game show, Barker eclipsed Johnny Carson as the medium’s most resilient host. In an industry where trendiness trumps reliability, Barker was unusual in that he did one thing and he did it very well, for decades.
Barker won a record-breaking 15 Daytime Emmys as outstanding game show host, as well as a Daytime Emmy Award for lifetime achievement in 1999. In early 2004 he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame. Guinness World Records twice named him TV’s Most Durable Performer.
Barker retired from “The Price Is Right” in June 2007. During his 35 years as host, he missed only one taping of four episodes. And he made several guest appearances with the new host, Drew Carey.