Former 'The Price is Right' host Bob Barker dies aged 99

US game show host Bob Barker, who fronted "The Price Is Right" for 35 years, passed away in his home on Saturday, his publicist said. He was 99.

Barker hosted 6,586 episodes of "The Price Is Right" from 1972 through 2007, and the show became a pop culture institution. His catchphrase invitation for an audience member to come on stage and be the next contestant, "[Person's name], come on down!", became one of US television's most recognizable phrases.

He was also an avowed animal rights activist who often urged his viewers to have their pets neutered to control the animal population, and began a foundation to subsidize the practices.

In 1987, Barker walked away from his 20-year stint as the host of the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants after organizers refused to stop draping contestants in fur coats.

"I am so proud of the trailblazing work Barker and I did together to expose the cruelty to animals in the entertainment industry and including working to improve the plight of abused and exploited animals in the United States and internationally," Barker's longtime friend and caretaker Nancy Burnet said in a statement on Saturday.

A lifetime on daytime television

Barker's enduring presence on "The Price is Right," and on "Truth or Consequences" before that, made him a household name for which he won 19 Emmy awards.

Over the years the game show host handed out more than $300 million (€278 million) in cash and prizes like cars, household appliances and trips.

In 1996, he even played a cameo role in the 1996 Adam Sandler film "Happy Gilmore."

Barker was at the center of a scandal in 1994 when Dian Parkinson, who had worked as a model on "The Price is Right" for 18 years, sued him for sexual harassment.

The television host admitted to engaging in "hanky panky" with her for three years but said she initiated the relationship. Parkinson dropped the lawsuit in 1995, saying it was affecting her health.

Barker retired from hosting "The Price is Right" in June, 2007.

In his final episode, he told viewers: "I thank you, thank you, thank you for inviting me into your home for more than 50 years."

zc/msh (AP, Reuters, AFP)