Price Is Right and Hollywood Squares Host Tom Kennedy Dies at 93

Former game and talk show host Tom Kennedy has died. He was 93.

A cause of death was not immediately available at the news of Kennedy’s passing first surfaced in a Facebook post from Steve Beverly, a friend of the late host’s. According to Beverly, the host “had not been well in recent months,” even though the two stayed in touch.

Throughout his career, Kennedy hosted upwards of 16 gameshows, most notably a nighttime version of The Price Is Right in the late 80’s and You Don’t Say!

Born in 1927, Kennedy graduated from the University of Missouri. During and immediately after his college years, Kennedy worked for several radio stations, including KFRU (Missouri), WKLX (Kentucky), and KPOL and KGIL (California). His first hosting gig then came in 1958 on NBC’s short-lived The Big Game.

“With a heavy heart, I am sad to share the news that beloved game show host Tom Kennedy, who emceed 16 shows between 1958 and 1987, died Wednesday evening at his home in Oxnard, California.He was 93,” Beverly wrote on Facebook. “Tom had not been well in recent months but remained in communication with his family and close friends.”

He added, “In fact, only nine days ago after I sent him a photoshopped picture with himself with Curly Howard of The Three Stooges on the “Body Language” set, Tom emailed back to tell me he once played in a golfing group called the Hollywood Hackers.One of his regular playing partners was Larry Fine. His oldest daughter Linda phoned a half-hour ago to relay the news.
The pictures are of one of Tom’s favorites from the latter part of his career and another with me interviewing Tom shortly after he received the National Broadcasting Society Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.”

Cover photo by Walt Disney Television via Getty Images