DLNews Entertainment:

Bob Barker, the television icon whose silky-smooth command and impish sense of humor welcomed everyday people to "come on down" and test their knowledge of American consumer goods, has died, according to his publicist, Roger Neal. He was 99 years old.

Barker hosted the game show for 35 years before passing the microphone to Drew Carey in 2007. In that time, he handed out over $300 million in cash and prizes, including cars, appliances, and trips, making it one of the longest-running game shows in TV history. Along the way, he won 18 Daytime Emmys and was inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame.

But it wasn't all fun and games. In 1994, a former Price Is Right model sued Barker for sexual harassment. The host denied the allegations and won the case. In addition to his show's camp value, the TV legend was a tireless advocate for animal rights and a philanthropist. He would sign off "The Price Is Right" each day by asking viewers to have their pets spayed and neutered and donating millions to law schools for programs focused on animal welfare issues. He also was an emcee for the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants until 1987, when he quit in protest over the pageants' refusal to replace real furs with synthetic ones as finalists' prizes.

During his career, Barker appeared on dozens of other television shows and even landed a few movie roles. He played himself in 1996's Happy Gilmore and once fought Adam Sandler to the turf on a golf course (video contains cursing). In his final act, he fell and hit his head in June 2017 while hiking with a dog at his home in California, but his manager said he was recovering well.

Bob Barker was born in Darrington, Washington, on Dec. 12, 1923, and grew up on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. He attended Central High School in Springfield, Missouri. He later studied at Drury College on a basketball scholarship until leaving to train as a fighter pilot in the Navy near the end of World War II. He returned to Springfield after military service and earned a bachelor's degree in 1947.

He began his broadcasting career at a radio station in Florida before moving to Los Angeles and landing his first game-show hosting job on NBC's Truth or Consequences in 1956. That gig lasted for 18 years.

Then he jumped to the CBS airwaves in 1972 with a new version of The Price Is Right, which became the network's longest-running game show. He missed only four episodes of his run as host and won a record 18 Daytime Emmys before retiring in 2007. He made occasional appearances on the show after his retirement, including a 2015 episode for his 90th birthday and an April Fools' Day gig in which he replaced current host Drew Carey. He also lent his voice to the animated character of Bob the Cat on Futurama and Family Guy.