People Are Funny’ host dies
By Diana Cowan
2010-05-27
Art Linkletter passes away at age 97
Art Linkletter, who’s best remembered as the genial host of TV shows People Are Funny and Art Linkletter’s House Party in the ‘50s and ‘60s, has passed away.
The Saskatchewan native died Wednesday at his Los Angeles home, reports The Hollywood Reporter. He was 97.
At this time, cause of death is unknown.
House Party was a daytime talk show that originally began on radio in 1944 before moving to television (CBS and NBC) in 1952, where it subsequently enjoyed a 17-year tenure.
Likewise, prime-time game show People Are Funny also had roots in radio – Linkletter joined in 1943, and the series moved to the Peacock network in 1954. It aired for seven seasons.
Linkletter also helped create and co-host Bill Cosby’s comedy Kids Say the Darndest Things. The series, which aired five days a week on CBS for over 20 years, was based on a popular House Party feature, and featured the two men asking children questions to get their hilarious responses.
At one time, Linkletter had five shows running consecutively on network TV.
CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler says Linkletter, “was a television pioneer and legend that contributed to the early success of CBS, and we will be forever grateful.”
“From everyone at CBS, we offer our sincerest condolences to the Linkletter family.”
In addition, Linkletter penned at least 23 books, including Old Age Is Not for Sissies, operated Disneyland’s camera and film concessions for 10 years, and was a famous public speaker.
But, blessed as his career was, Linkletter’s personal life was filled with tragedy. Although he had one of the longest marriages in Hollywood history (74 years with wife Lois), he outlived three of his five children.
In 1969, his daughter Diane jumped to her death from her sixth-floor apartment at age 20; his son Robert died in a car accident in 1980 at age 35; and another son Jack passed away from lymphoma in 2007 at age 70.
In addition to Lois, he is survived by daughters Dawn and Sharon.
