The two cancers, which Roddy had said were unconnected, prompted him to become a spokesman for early detection. The diseases appeared under control following chemotherapy but flared up again, Pitts said. Roddy, who taped his last show about two months ago, had colon cancer surgery on September 11, 2001, and his left breast removed last March. "Rod started with 'Soap' and then his career took off." "I said, 'I've got a guy who's terrific,' " Pitts said. He got his big break in television with the 1977-1981 satire "Soap."ĭisc jockey Casey Kasem, who was the first announcer on the risque series, decided he did not want to stay with it and asked Pitts if he knew someone who could take over. Roddy's versatility made him a popular voice-over artist for commercials in Los Angeles, Pitts said. He was a graduate of Texas Christian University and a popular disc jockey in Texas when he decided to expand his career in Hollywood, his agent recalled. According to CBS, his birth year was 1936, which would make him 67. Roddy, whose real name was Robert Ray Roddy, was born September 18, 1937, in Fort Worth, Texas, Pitts said. We did it with the hope people will forget their problems for awhile." He had the spirit of 'The Price Is Right.' It's a fun show. He was important to the success of the show. "He started wearing those jackets when he joined the show," Barker said. "The Price Is Right" remains one of the television's most popular game shows, and Roddy, with his flamboyant sport coats and booming voice, was a big part of the success. Roddy's announcing stints included "Love Connection" (1981-1985) and "Press Your Luck" (1983-1986), but "The Price Is Right" earned him his greatest fame. "He was always upbeat and hopeful."īarker recounted a recent visit to his friend: "I went to the hospital and sat on the edge of his bed and we laughed the whole time we were talking. "We all admired his courage," Barker said last week. Roddy had been ill for more than two years but continued to work as much as possible and for as long as he could, said Bob Barker, host of "The Price Is Right." Roddy had been with the game show for 17 years.
He just wouldn't give up," Pitts said Monday. Roddy, who suffered from colon and breast cancer, died at Century City Hospital, according to his longtime agent, Don Pitts. That’s because he and his wife had been planning to be in Thailand this month, celebrating their anniversary had he suffered those heart attacks there, he believes he wouldn’t have made it.LOS ANGELES, California (AP) - Rod Roddy, the flashy-dressed announcer on "The Price Is Right" whose booming, jovial voice invited lucky audience members to "Come on down!" for nearly 20 years, died Monday. However, Gray’s rep told TMZ that his condition has since been upgraded to stable.Īccording to Gray himself, if not for the COVID-19 pandemic he believes he wouldn’t have survived. RELATED: Over-Excited Fan Nearly Knocks Drew Carey Off The Stage On ‘The Price Is Right’Īs a result, Gray underwent a quadruple bypass and was taken to the ICU, listed in critical condition.
While on the operating table, he then suffered a third heart attack. While at the hospital, Gray then suffered a second heart attack and was taken back into surgery in order to try to place a third stent. He was then taken into surgery where two attempts to place a stent into one of his arteries. TMZ’s sources say “he suffered the first massive heart attack in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.” Initially dismissing his discomfort as indigestion, his symptoms worsened enough for his wife to call 911, and he was rushed to a hospital.
George Gray, announcer for “The Price Is Right”, has been hospitalized after suffering a series of “massive” heart attacks.Īccording to TMZ, the 53-year-old woke up Monday with chest pains.