HOLLYWOOD -- TV game show host Allen Ludden, best known for his 'Password' show, died today of complications from cancer and a stroke suffered last November, a spokesman said. He was 63.
A family spokesman said Ludden had suffered cancer for many months and was struck down by a 'stroke-like medical problem caused by steroid treatment for the cancer.'
The spokesman said Ludden's wife, actress Betty White, was at her husband's bedside in Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles when he died at 1:30 a.m. PDT.
Ludden had been in and out of hospitals since he suffered a stroke at his Monterey, Calif., vacation home last October.
A memorial service is being planned in Los Angeles for the popular gameshow host and interment will be in Mineral Point, Wis., Ludden's birthplace.
A family spokesman said Ludden had suffered cancer for many months and was struck down by a 'stroke-like medical problem caused by steroid treatment for the cancer.'
The spokesman said Ludden's wife, actress Betty White, was at her husband's bedside in Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles when he died at 1:30 a.m. PDT.
Ludden had been in and out of hospitals since he suffered a stroke at his Monterey, Calif., vacation home last October.
A memorial service is being planned in Los Angeles for the popular gameshow host and interment will be in Mineral Point, Wis., Ludden's birthplace.
Ludden remained unconscious for several weeks after the stroke last fall and was listed in critical condition at Monterey's Community Hospital.
He later rallied, according to a family spokesman, and did not suffer any paralysis or speech impairment. He was transferred to Good Samaritan a month after the stroke.
He was released from the hospital last December to return to his Brentwood home after several weeks of treatment, but suffered several relapses.
'Allen was in and out of the hosptial for most of this year,' the spokesman said. 'He never really regained his health.'
As host and moderator of such game shows as 'GE College Bowl,' 'Password' and 'The Liar's Club,' Ludden was a popular figure on national television and a prominent member of Hollywood's social scene.
In addition to his TV career, Ludden wrote books for youngsters, including 'Plain Talk About College,' 'Plain Talk for Women Under 21' and 'Plain Talk for Men Under 21.'
Ludden won an Emmy in 1976 for 'Password' and produced two other game shows, 'Stumpers' and 'Allen Ludden's Gallery.'
Ludden was a former Austin, Texas, high school teacher and an instructor at the University of Texas, from which he earned a masters degree in English.
Ludden and Miss White were married in Las Vegas in 1963 after they had co-starring in 'Critic's Choice' in New England summer stock.
It was the second marriage for Ludden who was a widower with three children, David, Martha and Sarah, when he married the blonde comedienne.
