“Nobody saw this coming…” — Wheel of Fortune’s original host Chuck Woolery dies at 83, just weeks after quietly saying goodbye to friends. He was the “captivating voice” behind America’s first televised love stories and game shows — but behind the scenes, those closest to him say he knew the END OF THE WORLD was “near.” In a move that now seems “chillingly prophetic” — Chuck began reaching out to old friends in recent weeks… and now the world is mourning a legend whose final chapter was written in silence.

Game show veteran Chuck Woolery, who hosted the original versions of Wheel of Fortune and Love Connection, died November 23. He was 83.

Woolery’s passing was announced on X by his longtime friend and Blunt Force Truth podcast co-host Mark Young.

“It is with a broken heart that I tell you that my dear brother @chuckwoolery has just passed away,” he wrote. “Life will not be the same without him.”

Young told TMZ that Woolery died at his Texas home after experiencing trouble breathing.

Woolery, who started his career as a country singer and was half of pop duo The Avant-Garde, was hired as Wheel of Fortune host when the show first launched in 1975. After hosting the program for seven years, he departed over a salary dispute and was replaced by Pat Sajak.

“Chuck Woolery was without doubt the Real Deal. He was an original. There was no one like Chuck,” Woolery’s Wheel of Fortune co-host Susan Stafford said in a statement (you can read it in full below). “Our 7 years as the original host and hostess on Wheel of Fortune were like magic.

Our deep friendship continued after our time on the show. He was an original. There was no one like Chuck. He had so much energy and was the same warm caring genuine person offstage as he was on. He was very spiritual and we shared a true love for God which made it even more worthwhile. So grateful to know I will see him again.”

Love Connection also launched in 1983 with Woolery as its first host, a job he held for 11 years. Other game shows he has hosted/co-hosted through the years include Scrabble (1984–1990 and its short-lived 1993 revival), Home & Family (1996–1998), The Dating Game (1997–1999), Greed (1999–2000) and Lingo (2002–2007). He also hosted his own talk show, The Chuck Woolery Show, which had a brief run in 1991.

Woolery guest starred as himself on a number of series including It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, Melrose Place, Sister, Sister and Scrubs.

In 2012, he began hosting a nationally syndicated radio show, Save Us Chuck Woolery. Two years later, it morphed into a podcast that was retitled Blunt Force Truth.

Known for his conservative views, Woolery found himself in multiple controversies over the past decade involving such subjects as Covid and antisemitism.

Here is Stafford’s statement:

“Chuck Woolery was without doubt the Real Deal. He was an original. There was no one like Chuck. Our 7 years as the original host and hostess on Wheel of Fortune were like magic.

“Our deep friendship continued after our time on the show. He was an original. There was no one like Chuck. He had so much energy and was the same warm caring genuine person offstage as he was on. He was very spiritual and we shared a true love for God which made it even more worthwhile. So grateful to know I will see him again.“