http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/TV/10/28/obit.roddy.ap/index.html
Tuesday, October 28, 2003 Posted: 9:39 AM EST (1439 GMT)
Rod Roddy said it thousands of times: "Come on down! You're the next contestant on 'The Price Is Right'!"
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LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Rod Roddy, the flashy-dressed announcer on "The Price Is Right" whose booming, jovial voice invited lucky audience members to "Come on down!" for nearly 20 years, died Monday. He was believed to have been 66.
Roddy, who suffered from colon and breast cancer, died at Century City Hospital, according to his longtime agent, Don Pitts. He had been hospitalized for two months.
"He had such a strong spirit. He just wouldn't give up," Pitts said Monday.
Roddy had been ill for more than two years but continued to work as much as possible and for as long as he could, said Bob Barker, host of "The Price Is Right." Roddy had been with the game show for 17 years.
"We all admired his courage," Barker said last week. "He was always upbeat and hopeful."
Barker recounted a recent visit to his friend: "I went to the hospital and sat on the edge of his bed and we laughed the whole time we were talking. He was still having fun."
Roddy's announcing stints included "Love Connection" (1981-1985) and "Press Your Luck" (1983-1986), but "The Price Is Right" earned him his greatest fame. "The Price Is Right" remains one of the television's most popular game shows, and Roddy, with his flamboyant sport coats and booming voice, was a big part of the success.
"He started wearing those jackets when he joined the show," Barker said. "He was quite a character. He was important to the success of the show. He had the spirit of 'The Price Is Right.' It's a fun show. We did it with the hope people will forget their problems for awhile."
Roddy, whose real name was Robert Ray Roddy, was born September 18, 1937, in Fort Worth, Texas, Pitts said. According to CBS, his birth year was 1936, which would make him 67.