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USA Today
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
TV host Wink Martindale, known for 'Gambit' and 'Tic-Tac-Dough,' dies at 91: Reports
TV host Wink Martindale, known for 'Gambit' and 'Tic-Tac-Dough,' dies at 91: Reports TV and radio host Wink Martindale, best known for helming the game shows "Gambit" and "Tic-Tac-Dough," has died, according to reports. He was 91. The former disc jockey, born Winston Conrad Martindale, died Tuesday in Rancho Mirage, California, while surrounded by his family, The Hollywood Reporter and the Los Angeles Times reported. A cause of death was not given. USA TODAY has reached out to a representative for Martindale for comment. Martindale, who previously hosted at the Memphis, Tennessee, station WHBQ, broke into the TV world with a hosting gig on the WHBQ-TV show "Mars Patrol," a sci-fi series for children he led from 1953-1955. After hosting the musical game shows "What's This Song?" and "Words and Music" for NBC, Martindale became a household name when he was chosen by CBS to head its blackjack-themed series "Gambit" in 1972. He hosted the show's original run through 1976 and later emceed a Las Vegas spinoff on NBC from 1980-1981. Martindale also hosted the CBS revival of the NBC trivia game show "Tic-Tac-Dough" from 1978-1985. His other credits include "High Rollers" and "Headline Chasers," the latter of which he created and co-produced with fellow TV host Merv Griffin. Martindale was married to Sandy Ferra, who previously dated singer Elvis Presley. Martindale was also friends with the rock icon, with Presley appearing on the TV personality's show "Teenage Dance Party" in 1956. 'Your acclaim will live on': Judas Priest drummer Les Binks dies at 73 Presley is "responsible for my marrying Wink," Ferra said in a 2015 interview with Elvis Australia. "When (Martindale) said he was from Tennessee, I thought, 'He must be a nice guy,' because I loved the state, I loved all the guys, I loved everything in the state of Tennessee because Elvis was such a wonderful part of my life." Aside from his hosting prowess, Martindale scored a pop hit in 1959 with his rendition of the recitation song "The Deck of Cards." The song peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. Jean Marsh dies: 'Upstairs, Downstairs' star and co-creator was 90 Martindale was honored with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2006. Contributing: KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Wink Martindale, veteran game show host of 'Tic-Tac-Dough', 'Gambit', and more, dies at 91
Wink Martindale, the prolific TV and radio personality best known for hosting game shows such as Tic-Tac-Dough and Gambit, died Tuesday in Rancho Mirage, Calif. He was 91. Martindale was surrounded by his family in his final moments, including his wife of 49 years, Sandra Martindale, according to a press release. A cause of death was not disclosed. Born Winston Conrad Martindale on Dec. 4, 1933, in Jackson, Tenn., Martindale began his career at 17, working as a disc jockey at the local Jackson radio station WPLI before hopping to WTJS, WDXI, and eventually WHBQ in Memphis. There, in 1954, fellow DJ Dewey Phillips was playing Elvis Presley's very first record, "That's All Right," while Martindale tried calling Presley's mother to see if they could get the King to come down to the station. Eventually, Presley showed up "for his first interview, and music was changed forever," per the press release. Martindale first broke into TV with a hosting gig on the local sci-fi children's series Mars Patrol. He then hosted Teenage Dance Party, where Presley would eventually appear in a 1965 episode. Martindale's first stint as a game show host came on NBC's What's This Song? in 1964 and '65. He followed that up with Words and Music on NBC and Gambit on CBS (from 1972 to 1976, and again from 1980 to 81). His biggest success was Tic-Tac-Dough, which he hosted from 1978 to 85. He hosted other popular game shows including Headline Chasers (which he created and executive-produced), High Rollers, The Last Word, The Great Getaway Game, Trivial Pursuit, Debt, and Instant Recall. In total, Martindale hosted a whopping 20 game shows throughout his lengthy career — according to The Hollywood Reporter, only Bill Cullen did more. Martindale's radio work didn't end in his youth. He had stints at various stations, including longer stays at KGIL-AM, KKGO-FM/KJQI, Gene Autry's KMPC, and KABC. His radio credits include Your Hit Parade, Music of Your Life, 100 Greatest Christmas Hits of All Time, and The History of Rock 'n' Roll. More recently, he had a recurring appearance on The Howard Stern Show. His iconic voice nabbed him a gold record as well, for the spoken-word song "Deck of Cards," which made it to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and sold more than 1 million copies in 1959. In his later years, Martindale added commercials to his resume, including for Orbitz and KFC, the latter of which saw him star alongside Rob Lowe. He also made appearances on television shows including The Bold and the Beautiful, The Chase, and The Eric Andre Show. In addition to his wife, Martindale's survivors include his daughters, Lisa, Lyn and Laura; his sister, Geraldine; many grandchildren and great-grandchildren; his "honorary son," Eric; and his "beloved Chihuahua," Dude. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
