Bob Barker, Iconic 'Price Is Right' Host & Animal-Rights Activist, Dies at 99

Bob Barker, the 19-time Emmy winner whose long run as the host of "The Price Is Right" broke a record, and who devoted himself to animal rights when not bantering with peripatetic contestants, has died at 99, TMZ reports.

Barker's rep Roger Neal confirmed to "Extra" that he had passed away Saturday morning, less than four months shy of his 100th.

Barker has endured various health struggles in the past several years, including a stroke, skin cancer, back pain, and a fall.

Barker's longtime friend and caretaker Nancy Burnet said in a statement, “I am so proud of the trailblazing work Barker and I did together to expose the cruelty to animals in the entertainment industry... 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.”

He was born in Darrington, Washington, on December 12, 1923, and was the Navy Reserve during WWII.

He launched his incredible broadcast career in radio in the 1940s, and hosted his own radio show, "The Bob Barker Show," from 1950-1956.

In 1956, he became the host of TV's "Truth or Consequences," a position he held until 1975.

But it was as the genial, sometimes prickly, always witty, host of "The Price Is Right" that he became a household name. He hosted the show from 1972-2007 — a record — nimbly steering often shocked and nervous contestants through various guessing games built around the prices of sponsors' products.

The show featured many iconic aspects, from Barker's emphatic, "Come on down!" greeting to contestants who were selected to play to the spinning a wheel and getting "as close to 100 without going over" to the tense Showcase Showdown, in which competitors had to guess the overall worth of mind-blowing prize packages that could include cars and exotic trips.

Over the years, Barker made news by giving up hair dye, and gamely enduring the hands-on approach some of his more excited Samoan contestants employed.

Barker also endured controversy, including several lawsuits. Most infamously, he was sued for sexual harassment by one of the show's models — called Barker's Beauties — Dian Parkinson, with whom he'd had an affair while they worked side-by-side on the show. Another Barker's Beauty, Holly Hallstrom, left the show after her weight gain was criticized, suing over her assertion that she'd been encouraged to lie about Parkinson. Parkinson's suit was withdrawn, and Hallstrom's was settled.

Barker played himself on many series and appeared on a number of other game shows, notably a "Tattletales" (1975-1976), on which he appeared with his wife Dorothy Jo, and "Match Game" (1973-1980).One

Hosting the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants was another of Barker's high-profile gigs. He hosted them from 1967-1987, and in the last year was involved with the so-called "Fur Flap" when he publicly refused to appear on Miss USA telecast if the women wore real fur coats. Fake fur was substituted at airtime, but in spite of a spike in ratings, he and the franchise parted ways.

A lifelong animal-rights activist, Barker ended each "Price Is Right" telecast from 1982 on with, "This is Bob Barker reminding you to help control the pet population — have your pets spayed or neutered.” He gave away millions of dollars to causes that benefited animals, once stating he hoped to give away his fortune and die broke.

In 2021, Barker's "The Price Is Right" successor Drew Carey told "CBS Sunday Morning," "I never met anybody who had a job that long. Have you? It's unheard of anymore... Every day, [the show tapes] in the Bob Barker Studio, and people still show up with Bob Barker shirts."

Barker was married to Dorothy Jo — a former teacher and trailblazing sex-ed activist — from 1945 until her death from lung cancer in 1981, never remarrying. He will be buried alongside her.