Drew Carey paid tribute to the late Bob Barker — his predecessor as host of the iconic game show The Price Is Right — after his death at the age of 99. “Very sad day for the Price Is Right family, and animal lovers all over the world,” Drew posted to X (formerly Twitter) shortly after news of the death broke. “There hasn’t been a day on set that I didn’t think of Bob Barker and thank him. I will carry his memory in my heart forever. #RIPBobBarker We love you,” the comedian, 65, signed off with a red heart.
Bob’s death was confirmed to TMZ on Saturday, August 26th by his rep, who said that the television host died of “natural causes.”
Very sad day for the Price Is Right family, and animal lovers all over the world. There hasn’t been a day on set that I didn’t think of Bob Barker and thank him. I will carry his memory in my heart forever.#RIPBobBarker
We love you ❤️— ʎǝɹɐƆ ʍǝɹᗡ (@DrewFromTV) August 26, 2023
Barker began hosting The Price Is Right on CBS in 1972, and remained in the role for 35 years until his retirement in 2017. The CBS Television Studio that the series still films in is now named The Bob Barker Studio as tribute. Drew Carey took the reigns over from Bob, becoming the second-ever host in 2007 — a title that he still holds today.
When Drew first took over the role, he revealed he asked Bob for his best advice. “I knew I could never be Bob, and I wasn’t going to try to be Bob,” Drew recalled to People magazine back in 2021 — revealing that in 2007, the two men went out to chat. “We went out to lunch, and his advice was, ‘Don’t try to copy me. Just make it your own show,'” Drew shared.
Bob still holds records for his long run on The Price Is Right, however — particularly because he held the daily role for 51 years, which is longer than anyone else in the television world. He went on to earn 19 Emmy Awards during his illustrious career, with 14 of them in the Outstanding Game Show Host category for The Price Is Right.
The Price Is Right airs weekdays on CBS.