Was Bob Barker in the military? US Navy stint and position explored as The Price is Right host dies aged 99

Bob Barker passed away on August 26, 2023. The former host of The Price Is Right was 99. He died of natural causes, and further details on the same are currently awaited. He joined as an Ensign in the US Navy Reserve, serving in the Second World War.

Social media platforms were flooded with tributes from well-known faces. Ryan Field shared a few pictures and wrote that in 2001, he met Bob when he participated in The Price Is Right. Field also described Barker as having a larger-than-life personality.

The official page of The Price Is Right expressed grief over Barker's death by writing that he "made countless people's dreams come true and everyone feel like a winner when they were called to 'come on down.'" They continued by saying that people would remember Barker as an animal rights activist.

A Facebook post by PETA stated that Barker's work for animals will be remembered forever. The Bold and the Beautiful wrote in a Facebook post that their show was incomplete without Barker.

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Bob Barker initially served in the military before going into the world of television

Although Bob Barker was mostly known for his work on television, he previously served in the military. In June 1943, he enrolled as an Ensign in the US Navy Reserves. He was also an expert in flying aircraft.

He served at Naval Air Station Deland, Florida; Great Lakes Naval Station; and Banana River Naval Air Station. For the U.S. Navy Mariner aircraft, he made gunnery runs and was a part of training missions in Goose Isle, Michigan. Barker had once described himself as a naval aviator and fighter pilot.

"I was all ready to go, and when the enemy heard that I was headed for the Pacific, they surrendered. That was the end of World War II."

Barker was raised at a time when the entire world was badly affected by the Great Depression. When he was a high school student, he met Dorothy Jo Gideon, and they tied the knot in 1945. Dorothy later passed away in 1981 from lung cancer. She was 57 years old at the time of her death.

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Bob Barker hosted a long lineup of TV shows over the years

Bob Barker's career started in radio, working at stations like KTTS-FM, KNX (AM), and more. His first show as a host was Truth or Consequences, where he appeared from 1956 to 1975.

However, he became a popular face with The Price Is Right, where he began appearing from 1972. He remained a host of the show until 2007.

The Ellen DeGeneres Show and the Late Show with David Letterman are a few of the shows where he made brief appearances. His work in commercials was also praised, and in 2009, he published an autobiography titled Priceless Memories.