Wink Martindale Dies: Game Show Host Of ‘Tic-Tac-Dough', ‘Gambit' And ‘High Rollers' Was 91

Yahoo

15-04-2025

Wink Martindale, one of TV's most beloved game show hosts whose name became virtually synonymous with the profession, died today in Rancho Mirage, California. He was 91.
His death was announced by a spokesperson for Martindale's family. Though no cause was given, the statement said the host of such classic game shows as Tic-Tac-Dough and Gambit was 'surrounded by family and his beloved wife of 49 years, Sandra Martindale.'
More from Deadline
Alice Tan Ridley Dies: 'America's Got Talent' Singer, Mother Of Gabourey Sidibe Was 72
William Finn Dies: 'Falsettos', 'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee' Playwright Was 73
Clem Burke Dies: Blondie Drummer Was 70
Over a 74-year career in radio and television, Winston Conrad 'Wink' Martindale was born in Jackson, Tennessee on December 4, 1933. He launched his career as a disc jockey in Jackson at the age of 17, then rising through the ranks at Memphis' WHBQ, where, according to his family, on the evening of July 10, 1954, fellow DJ Dewey Phillips played Elvis Presley's very first record, 'That's All Right,' on the radio for the very first time, playing the tune repeatedly while Martindale phoned Presley's mother and asked if Elvis could come down to the radio station.
'Elvis soon arrived at WHBQ for his first interview, and music was changed forever,' the family statement reads.
Martindale also found his own success as a recording artist, performing the spoken-word song 'Deck of Cards' in 1959, a track that went to #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #5 on the UK Singles Chart and sold over one million copies.
Later that year, Martindale moved to Los Angeles as the morning host of radio station KHJ. The following year he joined the morning crew at KRLA and finally moved to KFWB in 1962. He also had lengthy stays at KGIL-AM from 1968-1971, KKGO-FM/KJQI and Gene Autry's KMPC from 1971-1979 and 1983-1987, KABC in 1989 and KJQI from 1993-1994.
His additional radio credits include Hit Parade Radio and the syndicated programs Music of Your Life, 100 Greatest Christmas Hits of All Time, The History of Rock 'n' Roll, and recent recurring appearances on The Howard Stern Show.
While he first found success in radio, the handsome Martindale found wider, national fame on television. Earlier in Memphis, he'd hosted a science fiction-themed kids series called Mars Patrol, and then hosted Teenage Dance Party, where his new friend Presley made an appearance on June 16, 1956.
But it wasn't until 1964, when he landed his first game-show hosting job on NBC's What's This Song?, that Martindale found his niche. He followed the musical-contest show with NBC's Words and Music, CBS' Gambit, and his biggest success Tic-Tac-Dough. Martindale also went on to host such popular game shows as Headline Chasers, High Rollers, The Last Word, The Great Getaway Game, Trivial Pursuit, Debt, Instant Recall, and many more.
In recent years, Martindale made appearances on such programs as Most Outrageous Game Show Moments, The Chase, and The Bold and the Beautiful, and appeared in commercials for Orbitz, KFC (alongside Rob Lowe) and more.
In 1985, Martindale became a producer with the launch of the TV game show Headline Chasers, produced in association with Merv Griffin and syndication giant, King World.
Martindale also supported numerous causes and produced and hosted annual telethons for Cerebral Palsy and St. Jude Children's Hospital, among other charities.
In 2006, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 2024, he was honored with a Beale Street Note on Memphis, Tennessee's Beale Street Walk of Fame – not far from where in 2015, he was presented with the Distinguished Alumni Award by his alma mater, the University of Memphis. He was also one of the first inductees into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame.
In addition to his wife, Martindale is survived by sister Geraldine, daughters Lisa, Lyn and Laura and a large extended family of grandchildren and great grandchildren, and his 'honorary son' Eric.
Best of Deadline
'And Just Like That ...' Season 3: Everything We Know So Far
Everything We Know About 'Only Murders In The Building' Season 5 So Far
2025 Deaths Photo Gallery: Hollywood & Media Obituaries