Life after Dorothy Jo: How Bob Barker's love for animals helped him through tragic loss
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Dorothy Jo Gideon, wife of legendary 'Price is Right' host Bob Barker died on October 19, 1981, after the couple spent four decades together.
Barker who died at the age of 99 on Saturday, August 26 told People in 1999 that he would "never marry again" and dearly remembered her saying "Dorothy Jo was the love of my life."
How did Bob Barker meet Dorothy Jo Gideon?
Barker met Gideon when he was a 15-year-old student at Springfield's Central High School in Missouri. "We fell in love as kids. And we stayed in love," the host told People in 1999.
The young couple exchanged vows on January 12, 1945, after they eloped while Barker was on leave in St.Louis during the time he was training as a navy fighter pilot during World War II.
Barker who was an outspoken animal rights activist credits Gideon who served as an animal rights advocate.
Speaking of his late wife, Barker told Good Morning America in 2009 that Gideon "was ahead of her time. She really was. She stopped wearing fur coats before anyone was stopping."
She also influenced him in choosing vegetarianism. "My wife, Dorothy Jo, preceded me in becoming a vegetarian," the Emmy winner said.
"She fixed beautiful dishes that I ate. Gradually, I became a vegetarian too. I owe it to her, and I thank her for it because I think it has really improved my life. I am a staunch believer in it," Barker told the Vegetarian Times in 2012.
Six months after Gideon was diagnosed with lung cancer, she died on October 19, 1981.
Her death at the age of 57 left Barker devastated as his half-brother Kent Valandra said, "Bob went into this deep depression and was a totally different person for two or three years."
"I immersed myself in [work]. I just tried to stay busy," the host said about that period.
In honor of his late wife, Gideon, and his mother, Tilly, he founded the DJ&T Foundation in 1995 which is aimed at aiding low-cost spay and neuter clinics that will help in controlling animal overpopulation.
How did Bob Barker die?
The host who served 35 years on the daytime show died of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles.
"It is with profound sadness that we announce that the World's Greatest MC who ever lived, Bob Barker, has left us," read Barker's former publicist Roger Neal's statement on Saturday.
Who is Nancy Burnet?
Following the death of his wife Gideon, Barker dated Nancy Burnet with whom he spent nearly 40 years together.
Reacting to Barker's death, Burnet released a statement to ET that read, "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."
"We were great friends over these 40 years. He will be missed," said Barker's longtime companion.
