Legendary television game show host Wink Martindale, who anchored ‘Gambit’, ‘High Rollers’ and a host of other programs, has died at 91.
He died surrounded by his wife, Sarah Martindale and loved ones in his home in Rancho Mirage.
Wink was very charming and his name was easy to catch on because it was weird. I mean, a lot of people have straight names now, but how many people claim the name ‘Wink’?
When Martindale was younger, his friends had trouble pronouncing his government name Winston Martindale. It always came out as Winkie when they tried. Although now, it sure seems like they were doing it on purpose since Winston was not a hard name to pronounce.
Anyway, he shortened it to ‘Wink’ and decided to stick to it when he got into radio, broadcasting, and hosting.
If there was anything unique about Martindale, it was that he was really good at his job. His smile could keep you glued to your TV screen, probably looking at how he graces each show, and his perfect hair.
Soon, everyone wanted him to host their game show, and by the late nineties, he had produced and hosted almost 21 shows, which was crazy. He was the market.
“Our ratings were never as big until he came on and were never as big after he left,” he said about his time on Tic-Tac-Dough. He continued hosting and broadcasting as he aged as it was his favorite thing to do. Nothing excited him more.
In 2006, Wink received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He is survived by his wife, children, and grandchildren.
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