Bob Barker and Dorothy Jo Gideon were high school sweethearts
Credit: CBS Photo Archive/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- The Price Is Right host Bob Barker was married to Dorothy Jo Gideon from 1945 until her death in 1981
- Gideon died of lung cancer, devastating Barker at the height of his The Price Is Right fame
- Members of The Price Is Right team look back at Barker’s struggles in the aftermath of Dorothy Jo’s death in E!’s new docuseries, Dirty Rotten Scandals
Things became "even darker" at The Price Is Right after the death of Bob Barker's wife.
Dorothy Jo was described as the host's "biggest cheerleader," and her death lead to a very difficult time for Barker. The couple met when they were in high school and got married on Jan. 12, 1945. She died at age 57 on Oct. 19, 1981.
In E!'s new docuseries, Dirty Rotten Scandals, those around Barker remember the changes in him after Dorothy Jo's death.
"They went to Hawaii in August and she was diagnosed with lung cancer and died two months later," recalled Barbara Hunter, who served as a producer on the game show.
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Credit: CBS Photo Archive/Getty
"Bob really went into a funk after that. He was ready to take his own life. That's what he shared with me," Hunter said.
Holly Hallstrom, who was one of "Barker's Beauties" for nearly 20 years, recalled, "He was devastated, really, by her death. There was a long period of mourning. And then, all of a sudden, he became Mr. Man About Town, you know?"
He knew he was the star of the biggest show in daytime, and Dorothy Jo wasn't there anymore, keeping him reined in," Hallstrom continued. "It was like he was unleashed and turned into this narcissistic egomaniac."
Two years later, Barker met and began dating his girlfriend Nancy Burnet, with whom he stayed until he died of natural causes in August 2023 at 99.
Credit: CBS Photo Archive/Getty
Barker founded the DJ&T Foundation in 1995 in honor of his late wife and his mother, Tilly. Though it has since closed, the foundation focused on aiding low-cost spay and neuter clinics to control animal overpopulation.
The Price Is Right host was spotted visiting her grave on the 36th anniversary of her death on Oct. 19, 2017, with a bouquet of daisies, in photos obtained by the Daily Mail. Nearly six years later, Barker died of natural causes in August 2023. He was 99 years old.
Dirty Rotten Scandals: The Price Is Right premieres Wednesday, March 18 at 9:00pm ET/PT on E! with two back-to-back episodes.
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