LOS ANGELES, California — Wink Martindale, who became a household name while being seen on millions of televisions for decades as host of game shows such as “Tic-Tac-Dough” and “Gambit,” has died at age 91.
Martindale’s publicist confirmed Martindale’s death, according to the Hollywood Reporter. He reportedly had been battling lymphoma for more than a year.
His career covered 74 years and began as a disc jockey for a radio station in his hometown of Jackson, Tennessee, when he was only 17 years old. An early highlight for Martindale was an interview of a young Elvis Presley in 1956 on the TV show “Top Ten Dance Party.”
He was born Winston Conrad Martindale on Dec. 4, 1933, in Jackson. His gained his nickname from a friend who had difficulty pronouncing his first name, who first called him Winkie before it was shortened to Wink.
He broke into hosting game shows in 1964 with NBC’s “What’s This Song?” the Los Angeles Times reports. He would go on to host 21 game shows over his long career.
“I love working with contestants, interacting with the audience and to a degree, watching lives change,” Martindale wrote in his memoir, “Winking at Life.” “Winning a lot of cash can cause that to happen.”
He is survived by Sandy, his second wife of 49 years, and children Lisa, Madelyn ad Laura and numerous grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his son, Wink Jr. Martindale’s children are from his first marriage which ended in divorce in 1972.
(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)