Former Wasserstrom employee and famed American game show host, Chuck Woolery, died in his home on Saturday, at the age of 83.
Charles Herbert Woolery, born 1941 in Ashland, Kentucky, best known as the charismatic original host of Wheel of Fortune and Love Connection, had a diverse career before and after his TV fame.
After serving two years in the US Navy, Woolery sought out a career as a musician. During this time, he put his engaging personality to use in roles such as a sales representative for Pillsbury and as a wine sales representative here at The Wasserstrom Company.
Rodney Wasserstrom, CEO, remarked, “Outside of work, he really liked to fish; At his job, he was a hard worker, and a really nice person that cared about his fellow associates. But he always had a dream to go to California to become a singer.”
“We’ll Be Back in Two and Two”
In 1968, his band, The Avant-Garde, made it to the Top 40 charts with their hit, Naturally Stoned. He wrote for himself and others, collaborating on songs like Tammy Wynette’s The Joy of Being a Woman, in 1971.
Woolery then turned to television, enjoying a long career as a game show host including Wheel of Fortune (1975-1981), Love Connection (1983–1994), and Scrabble (1984-1990) and cameos on popular shows such as The New Zoo Revue, 227 starring the inimitable Jackée, and Melrose Place.
His accolades include a Daytime Emmy nomination in 1978 for his work on Wheel of Fortune, and induction into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame in 2007. His iconic status was well earned: he was a natural showman, a master at engaging audiences, putting contestants at ease, and never missing a beat in the unpredictable world of TV game shows.
“And That Buzzer Means That We Are Out of Time”
After his successful television career, Chuck Woolery transitioned into a political commentator. His radio show, Save Us Chuck Woolery, later became a long-form podcast in 2014, renamed Blunt Force Truth.
As a political commentator, Woolery is perhaps best known for his 2017 tweets lending credence to a Judeo-Bolshevism conspiracy theory. Later, he used his platform to raise awareness about the alleged discrimination one-percenters face.
He made headlines again in July 2020, accusing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Democratic politicians, and our nation’s doctors of lying about the Covid-19 worldwide pandemic, for political gain. Days later, after his son became infected, he issued the statement, “Covid is real and it is here.”
Chuck Woolery’s cause of death hasn’t been revealed, though a close friend noted he had recently experienced trouble breathing. He is survived by his fifth wife, Kristin, and his children Melissa, Sean, Michael, and Katharine.
