Link (http://www.ocregister.com/entertainment/donnell-273866-wheel-game.html)


Charlie O'Donnell, the familiar announcing voice on KABC-TV's "Wheel of Fortune" for more than 26 years, died overnight in his sleep, his agent confirmed Monday to the Orange County Register.

O'Donnell, 78, lived in Sherman Oaks, with his wife Ellen. He has four children and two grandchildren. A family spokesperson said, "They are too upset to talk right now." A woman who works on "Wheel" at Sony studios also confirmed O'Donnell's death.

The cause of death was reportedly heart failure, according to family friend and longtime radio personality Johnny Hayes.

"Charlie was by far one of the greatest show announcers ever," said his long-time agent Fred Wostbrock. "He gave life to that copy on 'Wheel.' Even the way he said 'Wheeeel of Fortune' started the excitement in the first two seconds of the game. He was as much a part of that show as Vanna White and Pat Sajak, and Charlie was with the original 'Wheel' with Chuck Woolery and Susan Stafford," he said.

"I am very lucky that I have had such a wonderful home base at Wheel of Fortune," O'Donnell was quoted as saying in his Biography on the Wheel of Fortune website. "Throughout my 40 plus years working as an announcer, I have had the honor to have worked with some of the leading entertainers in the world."

In 1987, O'Donnell was chosen to announce the arrival of Pope John Paul II at the Papal Teleconference at Universal Amphitheatre. He was the announcer for the Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl and Dodger Stadium in 1965 and 1966; announced the Rolling Stones at the Long Beach Auditorium in 1965; and was the voice of Dick Clark's "American Bandstand" for 10 years.

According to his biography, O'Donnell's other credits include: "The Dating Game," "Everybody's Talking," "The Gong Show," "The Guinness Game," "Hot Potato," "The Joker's Wild," "Let's Go Back," "Monopoly," "The Newlywed Game," "The Parent Game," "Stompers," "Tic Tac Dough," "To Tell The Truth," "Trivia Trap," "Wedding Party," "The Wizard of Odds" and "Wordplay."

Services are pending.

:rip: Charlie O'Donnell

Oh!So THAT'S why he wasn't the announcer for "Wheel of Fortune" tonight,and Johnny Gilbert was.It's funny.When Charlie 0'Donnell was on the show about a month ago,he looked very good and gave no indication he was sick,and even on last week's Halloween shows,he sounded good.Who's going to take his place?RIP Charlie.

:rip:

:rip:

Because of Charlie O'Donnell's death, I'm gonna become concerned about Johnny Gilbert and I hope he doesn't pass away soon himself. This is what we get for setting expectations too high.

O'Donnell's voice was like a combination of the voices of Elvis Presley and WWE ring announcer Howard Finkel. Based on an earlier post I made, he ended up crumbling into dust following his death and his dust will be put in the wastebasket.

Wheel of Fortune needs a replacement announcer ASAP, like M.G. Kelly. I wish he had served as announcer following Jack Clark's death.

"Charlie O'Donnell pledges allegiance to the Dead Celebrities Society. And to the Philosophy for which it stands. One Nation under the Michael. Indivisible, with Integrity and Fairness for all."

:rip:

Because of Charlie O'Donnell's death, I'm gonna become concerned about Johnny Gilbert and when he'll die. I hope it's not too soon.

I'd be more concerned about Don Pardo

O'Donnell's voice was like a combination of the voices of Elvis Presley and WWE ring announcer Howard Finkel. Based on an earlier post, he could end up crumbling into dust in the next few days and his dust will be put in the wastebasket.

This is a condolence thread and not for attacking the deceased. I thought Charlie O'Donnell had a great voice and was perfect for "Wheel" as I'm sure others will agree.

Wheel of Fortune needs a replacement announcer ASAP, like M.G. Kelly. I wish he had served as announcer following Jack Clark's death.


I wouldn't be surprised to see Johnny Gilbert or possibly Rich Fields take over.

he was also a news anchor at kcop channel 13 in cal. he was one of the best announcers ever r i p charlie we will miss you

This is a condolence thread and not for attacking the deceased. I thought Charlie O'Donnell had a great voice and was perfect for "Wheel" as I'm sure others will agree.

Now, Lawler, that was never meant as an attack. No more attempts to initiate conflict, please. I only met him once, though I never befriended him.

WOF will get an announcer. Whether it's Rich Fields, Randy West or Johnny Gilbert, we'll just have to wait and see. I saw Charlie O. at Radio City Music Hall in NYC. WOF did special celeb shows there in 2006. Neil Patrick Harris, Jeff Probst ands Susan Lucci were among the celebs.

R.I.P. Charlie. You will be missed but not forgotten. Say hello to Jack Clark up there.

WOF will get an announcer. Whether it's Rich Fields, Randy West or Johnny Gilbert, we'll just have to wait and see. I saw Charlie O. at Radio City Music Hall in NYC. WOF did special celeb shows there in 2006. Neil Patrick Harris, Jeff Probst ands Susan Lucci were among the celebs.

R.I.P. Charlie. You will be missed but not forgotten. Say hello to Jack Clark up there.and merv griffin too

Charlie O'Donnell was one of the most prolific announcers of all-time. It started when he worked with Dick Clark on American Bandstand and that led to many specials that clark produced. He began his career as a game show announcer in 1967 when he did the Lloyd Thaxton game show Everybody's Talking. Since then, he has been the voice for many game shows, such as The Joker's Wild, Tic Tac Dough, The Newlywed Game and the show he best remembered for Wheel of Fortune.

But O'Donnell did more than announce game shows. He was a DJ in Los Angeles and New York, read the news on KCOP-TV in Los Angeles and also announced the Emmys, Oscars and Golden Globes.

May he rest in peace.

Link (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/afterword/2010/11/charlie-odonnell-of-wheel-of-fortune-as-recalled-by-host-pat-sajak.html)

Obit writing has a great side benefit -- you often get to speak with people you’ve watched for years on TV and in the movies. My DVR isn’t programmed for “Wheel of Fortune” (solving word puzzles feels a little too much like work to me), so I wasn’t sure what to expect when the show’s host, Pat Sajak, called me Tuesday to talk about Charlie O’Donnell, the longtime “Wheel” announcer who died Monday at 78.

For starters, Sajak spoke in complete, ready-for-print paragraphs about the man he so clearly admired. He was wittty, self-deprecating and came across as exceedingly kind.

Here’s most of Sajak’s polished yet off-the-cuff memorial to his friend:

He was the perfect voice of the show. He had an old-school style that was a little over the top. It was perfect for the show. We’re a little over the top. We’re a throwback.

He loved warming up the audience. It was almost like the kids were going to the circus and he was the barker bringing them in. It was perfect for our show. Ours is a very difficult show for [announcers] to do. We are still plug-full. If you didn’t have someone who could do it in an entertaining way, it would seem like one long commercial. He made it seem like fun. He was quick on the uptake. I f I threw something at him, he threw it back. He actually paid attention to what I said.

His voice is probably, almost certainly heard the most during the course of the half-hour. He talked more than I do. He quite literally was the voice of “Wheel.” It’s going to seem strange not to hear that. It’s going to take a period of adjustment, he’s been there so long.

Viewers really have adopted this show. It’s been on at dinnertime for so long, and the whole family watches. As hokey as it sounds, all of us are all part of their families. It’s going to seem a little empty at the dinner table.

He was great at warming up the crowd. He’s been in television forever. He loved performing in front of crowds. He took that role very seriously. … He loved meeting people, and when we went out on the road, Charlie was the first contact that thousands of people had with “Wheel of Fortune.” From an aural point of view, Charlie was the most recognizable part of this show.

He really was the most professional guy I ever knew. That’s what he took pride in. He’s sort of a vanishing breed. He was a broadcaster. He started in radio and grew up in television. He knew how to do everything, from hosting rock 'n' roll radio to doing a game show. Everything he did, he took seriously in a lighthearted business. He took great pride in what he did. He was a great inspiration to all of us.

We’ve done so many shows. He had genuine enthusiasm. How many trips has he plugged over the years? There was never a moment that you ever sensed that he was thinking, “I have to talk about another trip to Cabo.” Every time he announced that someone had won the money, it sounded like he won it.

This is the way he would have wanted to go out, working to the end. … Charlie’s great skill was timing. If something was 13 seconds long, next time it would be 11. I figure it applied to his life. If Charlie left, it meant it was time. He got a cue. I guess it was time for him to leave.

An acknowledgement of O’Donnell’s death will appear at the end of the “Wheel of Fortune” scheduled to air Friday. “Jeopardy!” announcer Johnny Gilbert will fill in on “Wheel” until a permanent successor is chosen.

When I first heard Charlie O's voice-on AB when it was ab'6x-I thought he sounded like a voiceover guy who was heard at the time on commercials for Duncan Hines, Crisco Oil, and Sunoco ["When you stop at Sunoco, you go with confidence"].

These are among the names that were called by Charlie O' over the years:

Bill Cullen
Alex Trebek
Lynn Swann
Jack Barry
Jim Lange
Bob Eubanks
Jim Caldwell
Jim Perry
Jim Peck
Chuck Woolery
Jeff MacGregor
Paul Rodriguez
Mike Reilly
Allen Ludden
Scott Sternberg
Bob Goen
Rolf Bernirschke
Clark Race
Bob Hilton
Don Galloway
Dick Martin
Don Bleu
Lloyd Thaxton
Peter Tomarken
Tom Kennedy
Dick Clark
Wink Martindale

And of course: "PAT SAJAK AND VANNA WHITE!!!"

Charlie O was also an announcer for Bullseye w/Jim Lange as well as the Unsold Pilot of 21 also hosted by Jim Lange

God Bless You Charlie O'Donnell, R.I.P.

I was shocked when I heard about Charlie O'Donnell's death because the day before learning about Charlie's death I bought the first ever Wheel Of Fortune Nintendo DS game that also happened to be the very first and final Wheel Of Fortune video game that featured Charlie O'Donnell as announcer and the very next day I went to the mall when I heard about Charlie O'Donnell's death on the radio and I was surprised because the Wheel Of Fortune game was in my Nintendo DS all that time and I was playing it a lot. Charlie O'Donnell was truly one of a kind and really brought fun to Wheel Of Fortune and he was so cool to watch with his awesome humor. Did you know that at the time Charlie O'Donnell had passed away Nintendo and video game company THQ made a special announcement that for every Wheel Of Fortune video game bought by fans everywhere Nintendo donated $10 to a charity that helped with heart disease
Bestie

Oh!So THAT'S why he wasn't the announcer for "Wheel of Fortune" tonight,and Johnny Gilbert was.It's funny.When Charlie 0'Donnell was on the show about a month ago,he looked very good and gave no indication he was sick,and even on last week's Halloween shows,he sounded good.Who's going to take his place?RIP Charlie.
The announcer who replaced Charlie O'Donnell on Wheel Of Fortune is Jim Thornton and he does an excellent job as announcer and he sounds exactly like Charlie O'Donnell and even does the classic Wheel Of Fortune chant very well too
Bestie