“Wheel of Fortune” Announcer Charlie O’Donnell Dies

Charlie O’Donnell, who has lent his voice to the syndicated nightly game show Wheel Fortune on and off since its inception 35 years ago, died at his home in Los Angeles on Sunday.

He was 78.

A New York deejay before switching to television when he joined Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand,” O’Donnell was the voice of the game show even before hosts Pat Sajak and Vanna White appeared. While a cause of death is still being determined, O’Donnell is being remembered as the announcer for Oscar and Emmy telecasts and other famous game shows, including The Newlywed Game.

“His signature phrase, ‘Wheeeeeeel of Fortune,’ could be heard on the show from its beginning with host Chuck Woolery in 1975. He worked on the show until 1980, and again from 1988 until his death,” The Associated Press wrote on Tuesday.