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Wink Martindale is a prolific game show host who has had a career spanning 74 years and died Tuesday in Rancho Mirage, California, who suffered from lymphoma. thr Confirmed. He was 91 years old.
Born December 4th, 1933 in Jackson, Tennessee, his hometown will play an important role in his love life.
They were married for 50 years.
Wink – Yes, that was his name – launched his career as a DJ while still a teenager. His other brush with Elvis, who became a friend, came in 1954 when he cheated on the future King of Rock and Roll in his first radio interview with Wink’s colleague Dewey Phillips.
Martindale was a recording artist in itself, claiming to be a top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959 with “Deck of Cards.” I ran a spoken word record in “The Ed Sullivan Show.” And it sold over a million copies.
He plunges into television hosting children’s shows and hosts the music show “Teenage Dance Party,” which held the top act of the day in the 50s.
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He found his calling as a host of a game show called “What is this song?” It has been a year since 1964. He hosted “Words and Music” (1970-1971) and a huge hit with “Gambit” (1972-1976).
Most famously, Wink hosts “Tic-Tac-Dough” (1978-1985). Wink was the most successful version of the show. The third was released with Brookburns as the host of the Gameshow Network the day before his death.
Martindale left “Tic-Tac-Dough” and created his own game shows, including “Headline Chasers” (1985-1986) and “Bumper Stumpers” (1987-1990).
He also hosted the revival of “High Roller” (1987-1988), “The Last Word” (1989-1990), “The Trivial Tracking” (1993-1994), “Debt” (1996-1998), and “Instant Recall” (2010).
Martindale married Madelein Leach from 1954 to 1972 and had four children.
He was survived by his wife, his three daughters, his “honorary son”, and his sister.
