R.I.P. Peter Marshall: Longtime ‘Hollywood Squares’ Host Dead At 98

Hollywood Squares host Peter Marshall died from kidney failure on Thursday (Aug. 15) , TVLine reports. He was 98.

According to a statement from his family obtained by the outlet, Marshall was “surrounded by loved ones” when he passed away at home in Encino, California.

DECIDER reached out to Marshall’s talent agent for further information, but did not hear back by time of publication.

Born Ralph Pierre LaCock in Clarksburg, West Virginia on March 30, 1926, the late host worked as a NBC page as a teenager prior to kicking off a career in comedy, per The Hollywood Reporter. According to the outlet, Marshall also starred alongside Julie Harris in the Broadway production of Skyscraper, a musical comedy.

He would begin his hosting gig on Hollywood Squares — originally titled The Hollywood Squares — in 1966, a post he would hold until 1981, per TV Insider. Over the course of his run as host, he won four Daytime Emmys. As noted by TVLine, two other revivals of the show have followed, with another slated to hit CBS next year with Nate Burleson as host and Drew Barrymore taking on the center square.

Marshall made a number of TV appearances, among which were The Millionaire, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Lucy Show, Banacek, Lou Grant, Fantasy Island, CHiPS, The Love Boat, Sabrina The Teenage Witch, and The Bold and the Beautiful.

Marshall also earned credits in several films, including The Rookie (1959), Rabbit Test (1978), and Annie (1982).

Per THR, among Marshall’s survivors are his wife Laurie, his three living children, two sons-in-law, 12 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.