LOS ANGELES -- Bill Cullen was described by colleagues Sunday as the master of the television game show, following his death from complications resulting from lung cancer. He was 70.
Cullen died Saturday afternoon at his Bel Air home of heart failure brought on by the cancer. The performer's wife, Ann, was at his bedside when he died, according to George Spota, Cullen's manager.
'The greatest compliment you can give somebody is, 'Boy, he made it look so easy.'' said Dick Clark, who hosted both the '$25,000 Pyramid' and '$100,000 Pyramid.' 'He was a past master. He taught us all how to do it.'
Monty Hall, who hosted 'Let's Make A Deal' for nearly two decades, said he idolized Cullen.
'I'm terribly saddened by Bill's death,' he said. 'When I was an emcee starting out in Canada, Bill was starting out on television in the United States. He was my hero. Of all the emcees, Bill had great class ... great intelligence and great class.'
Pat Sajak, the host of 'Wheel of Fortune,' said, 'Because Bill was so good and made it look so easy, I didn't think he ever received all the recognition due him. He was a gentle and gracious man, yet had a biting wit. Bill Cullen was a broadcaster's broadcaster.'
Funeral services will be private, but a memorial service will be held within a month in Los Angeles, Spota said.
Cullen, who retired in 1988, appeared on more than 35 network radio and television series. He once said of his talent as a game-show host, 'I never considered myself a top-flight announcer. I'm not an actor ... but this I can do.'
'Bill Cullen set the standard for what he did -- the audience participation show -- during his 40-year career,' said Spota.
Cullen was one of television's most prolific game show hosts, who had the singular distinction of appearing on all three networks at the same time. During the late 1950s, Cullen was on the air on radio and television 25 hours each week.
Cullen once estimated he had taken part in at least 5,000 half-hour games.
Asked once if he would like to have all the money he had given away to contestants over the decades, he replied, 'No, I would rather have all the answers to the questions I've asked. As the smartest guy in the world, all the rest would follow.'
Born in Pittsburgh on Feb. 18, 1920, Cullen overcame a childhood bout with polio, learned to box, took part in several other sports and earned a pilot's license at age 15.
He entered broadcasting at 19 as a disc jockey, then moved on to radio network announcing.
In 1946, Cullen received the fateful assignment of hosting a radio quiz show, 'Winner Take All.' Over the next four decades Cullen appeared, either as a panelist or host, on dozens of programs.
His longest run was 15 years as a panelist on 'I've Got A Secret,' from 1952-67. His first job as television host was on 'Bank On The Stars,' which ran one season in 1954.
Cullen for years hosted some of TV's best-known game shows, including 'Name That Tune' (1954-55), 'The Price is Right' (1957-64), and 'The $25,000 Pyramid (1974-79). He also served as a panelist on 'To Tell The Truth' from 1969-77.
During one season in the 1960s, Cullen appeared simultaneously on all three networks with 'Eye Guess' on NBC, 'The Price Is Right' on ABC and 'I've Got A Secret' on CBS.
Cullen made the cover of TV Guide seven times, including twice in the same month.
