Chuck Woolery, host of ‘Love Connection’ and ‘Wheel of Fortune’, dies aged 83

It is with a broken heart that I tell you that my dear brother has just passed away. Life will not be the same without him, RIP brother."

Woolery's friend and podcast co-host Mark Young said in a statement on X

We'll be back in two minutes and two seconds."

Woolery was also known for his time on "Love Connection," where he coined the phrase

The most outrageous lies are the ones about COVID-19."

In a July 2020 tweet reposted by Trump, Woolery wrote

COVID-19 is real and it is here,

he tweeted before deleting his account

I was not a Trump backer in the beginning,

he told the Times

Chuck Woolery was without doubt the Real Deal. Our 7 years as the original host and hostess on Wheel of Fortune were like magic,

Susan Stafford, who was Chuck Woolery's co-host on "Wheel of Fortune," said in a statement to Fox News

Our deep friendship continued after our time on the show,

the statement continued

I've watched your brother my entire life, in different shows. He always presented himself as a genuinely good man. I'm so very sorry for you, losing your brother. You'll see him again."

Tributes have begun flooding in for Woolery, with one writing

I’m so sorry for your loss. Chuck Woolery was a great man! Rest in peace and power Chuck."

Also responding to Young's X post, a third added

One of my childhood tv hosts has passed away...RIP Chuck Woolery, I still remember watching the dating game, then the newlywed game afterwards. Thanks for the memories."

Another shared

Chuck was a dear friend and brother and a tremendous man of faith, life will not be the same without him,

Young wrote

To further clarify and add perspective, COVID-19 is real and it is here. My son tested positive for the virus, and I feel for of those suffering and especially for those who have lost loved ones,

Woolery posted before his account was deleted

When I put my mind on you alone/I can get a good sensation/Feel like I’m naturally stoned.”

The Avant-Garde, which tourbed in a refitted Cadillac hearse, had the Top 40 hit “Naturally Stoned,” with Woolery singing

Both Chuck and Susie did a fine job, and ‘Wheel’ did well enough on NBC, although it never approached the kind of ratings success that ‘Jeopardy!’ achieved in its heyday,

Griffin said in “Merv: Making the Good Life Last,” an autobiography from the 2000s co-written by David Bender

The most outrageous lies are the ones about COVID-19. Everyone is lying. The CDC, media, Democrats, our doctors, not all but most, that we are told to trust. I think it’s all about the election and keeping the economy from coming back, which is about the election. I’m sick of it,

Woolery wrote in July 2020.

I had an interview that stretched to 15, 20 minutes,

Woolery told The New York Times in 2003.

President Obama’s popularity is a fantasy only held by him and his dwindling legion of juice-box-drinking, anxiety-dog-hugging, safe-space-hiding snowflakes,

he said