O.T.: R.I.P. Rod Roddy, THE PRICE IS RIGHT announcer

[kriegerg69]

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Rod Roddy, the flashy-dressed announcer on ``The Price is Right'' whose booming, jovial voice invited lucky audience members to ``Come on down!'' for nearly 20 years, died Monday. He was believed to be 66.

Roddy, who suffered from colon and breast cancer, died at Century City Hospital, according to his longtime agent, Don Pitts. He had been hospitalized for two months.

``He had such a strong spirit. He just wouldn't give up,'' Pitts said Monday.

Roddy had been ill for more than two years but continued to work as much as possible and for as long as he could, said Bob Barker, host of ``The Price is Right.'' Roddy had been with the game show for 17 years.

``We all admired his courage,'' Barker said last week. ``He was always upbeat and hopeful.''

Barker recounted a recent visit to his friend: ``I went to the hospital and sat on the edge of his bed and we laughed the whole time we were talking. He was still having fun.''

Roddy's announcing stints included ``Love Connection'' (1981-85) and ``Press Your Luck'' (1983-86), but ``The Price is Right'' earned him his greatest fame. ``The Price is Right'' remains one of the most television's most popular game shows, and Roddy, with his flamboyant sport coats and booming voice, was a big part of the success.

``He started wearing those jackets when he joined the show,'' Barker said. ``He was quite a character. He was important to the success of the show. He had the spirit of `The Price Is Right.' It's a fun show. We did it with the hope people will forget their problems for awhile.''

Roddy, whose real name was Robert Ray Roddy, was born Sept. 18, 1937, in Fort Worth, Texas, Pitts said. According to CBS, his birth year was 1936, which would make him 67.

He was a graduate of Texas Christian University and a popular disc jockey in Texas when he decided to expand his career in Hollywood, his agent recalled.

Roddy's versatility made him a popular voice-over artist for commercials in Los Angeles, Pitts said. He got his big break in television with the 1977-81 satire ``Soap.''

Disc jockey Casey Kasem, who was the first announcer on the risque series, decided he did not want to stay with it and asked Pitts if he knew someone who could take over.

``I said, 'I've got a guy who's terrific,''' Pitts said. ``Rod started with 'Soap' and then his career took off.''

Roddy, who taped his last show about two months ago, had colon cancer surgery on Sept. 11, 2001, and his left breast removed last March.

The diseases appeared under control following chemotherapy but flared up again, Pitts said. The two cancers, which Roddy had said were unconnected, prompted him to become a spokesman for early detection.

``I could have prevented all this with a colonoscopy and, of course, that's the campaign I've been on since I had the first surgery,'' he said in a recent interview on a CBS Web site.

Breast cancer, although typically associated with women, is diagnosed in about 1,500 American men a year, Roddy said in the CBS interview: ``To everybody out there, 'Get a mammogram!' It can happen to men, too.''

Roddy was single. The only family member he talked about his mother, who died several years ago, Pitts said.

Funeral plans were not immediately announced.

[Ash]

That sucks.

I remember watching an episode of The Price Is Right a couple of months ago and the announcer was obviously a different guy.
He sounded similar, but definitely not the same as Rod.  
He sucked.  
I'm guessing that he filled in while Rod was getting diagnosed with something at the doctor's office.

It makes you wonder how many years Bob Barker has left in him.

Have you noticed how Barker seems to dislike most of the younger crowd?
Well....he seems to dislike everyone nowadays.
He's actually kind of a dick!

He now comes off as a grumpy old prick who has absolutely no patience for a young white male between the ages of 18 & 21 who wears a basketball jersey & a visor backwards & upside down on his show.  (a hated look for me too so I don't blame him)

He even comes off as sort of racist.  
It's strange...when a minority comes up onstage, you can just see the disgust on his face even though he's appearing to be cheerful.  
You can see it in his eyes.
He's probably thinking, "What the hell is this country coming to!"  "There weren't this many blacks & latino's on the show back in 1983!"
It's even more noticable when one of them kisses him!
He probably goes to his dressing room after each show and scrubs his cheeks with steel wool cursing the whole time.
Yikes!



Post Edited (10-28-03 00:06)

[The Burgomaster]

Let's just hope that the last thing he heard before he died was not Satan saying, "Come on down . . . "



Post Edited (10-28-03 09:01)

[AndyC]

The Burgomaster wrote:

> Let's just hope that the last thing he heard before he died was
> not Satan saying, "Come on down . . . "

Oh man, I had to listen to a bunch of jokes like that on the radio this morning.

Got a few surprises out of the obit. I had assumed Rod Roddy was older, I was sure he'd been with Price is Right longer than 17 years, and I did not remember him as the narrator of Soap (although I can remember the voice, and it is his).

I'm also thinking I wouldn't have been comfortable having surgery on Sept. 11, 2001. The surgeon's mind couldn't have been entirely on what he was doing.

Anybody keeping a tally of dead celebrities this year?

[Brother Ragnarok]

I find it amusing that "he was believed to be 66."  Like since he was a big TV personality no one really knew how old he is, kinda like Dick Clark.
However, this makes me sad.  I used to watch The Price Is Right nearly every day with my grandma when I was little.  Here's to ya, Rod.  I'd like to think that he's the new court announcer for God's throne room.  Every time someone comes in for an appointment, well, you know.

Brother R