“Peter Marshall, Iconic ‘Hollywood Squares’ Host, Dies at 98
Peter Marshall, who was well-known for presenting The Hollywood Squares, passed away, according to a statement released by his family on Thursday, August 15.
The TV celebrity was ninety-eight years old. His publicist, Harlan Boll, verified to several outlets that he passed away from kidney failure in his Encino, California, home, surrounded by his loved ones.
This morning, our cherished father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and spouse departed from this life. His family posted a statement on his official X account that said, “We will love him forever.”
After taking over for Bert Parks as host, Marshall presented The Hollywood Squares for 16 years, from 1966 to 1981. At first, he believed the job would only run for 13 weeks. To his astonishment, it went much longer and won him the affection of game show viewers worldwide.
We first faced off against reruns of The Dick Van Dyke Show. We sat around for maybe nine months,” he said in February 2022 to Closer. “And suddenly, without warning, we began to expand. Before you knew it, we were really popular.
He had a great time hosting the venerable game show, collaborating with numerous A-list celebrities, and producing countless memorable TV moments.
“It was really enjoyable to do. It was nothing like work,” he remarked. “We would perform a show, have a fifteen-minute break, perform another act, and then have lunch or dinner. Five shows in five hours is what we’d do. For me, it was really simple. I didn’t practice. I would simply enter and review the questions. I only done that.
In addition to his son Pete LaCock from his previous marriage, Marshall is survived by his wife Laurie Stewart, whom he married in 1989, and their daughters Suzanne Browning and Jaime Dimarco. In addition to a large number of dogs and cats, he had 12 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren.
About their union, he remarked, “I met Laurie when I was doing La Cage aux Folles.” “She was sitting next to me in first class and worked for TWA. She believed I was gay after seeing me in La Cage! That was the start of it. She was twenty-five and I was sixty. However, we have spent 35 years together.
Marshall talked candidly about the terrible death of his son David LaCock from COVID-19.
Marshall remarked, “It’s really, really sad.” “He was just a great boy with a great wife, eight kids, and six grandchildren. He was a creative person. It simply crushes my heart. It is quite terrible to lose a child.
Services weren’t immediately announced. However, his family requested that money be directed to Actors & Others for Animals in instead of flowers.
A statement on the late star’s official website stated, “A lifelong animal lover, Peter recently participated in a 50th anniversary tribute for Betty White’s Pet Set and hosted Doris Day’s 90th birthday celebration to benefit her animal foundation.”
“Peter narrated the 2017 documentary Wait For Your Laugh, which honored his late friend and Hollywood Squares coworker Rose Marie. He wrote his autobiography, Backstage With the Original Hollywood Square, in 2002.
(Source)
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