EXCLUSIVE: Bob Barker's Suicide Heartbreak — Wife's Death Nearly Led TV Icon to Pay the Ultimate Price
Bob Barker nearly took his life after his wife's death, revealing deep grief and emotional turmoil.
April 9 2026, Published 7:00 a.m. ET
A devastated Bob Barker contemplated suicide after his wife Dorothy Jo's death in 1981, a former Price Is Right producer has revealed.
RadarOnline.com can reveal, the longtime game-show host was married to his high school sweetheart for 36 years and considered her his "biggest cheerleader."
Bob's Dark Funk
Barbara Hunter said Bob Barker struggled after wife, Dorothy Jo's death following her lung cancer diagnosis in 1981.
"Bob really went into a funk after [her death]," said the former producer, Barbara Hunter. "He was ready to take his own life. That's what he shared with me."
Barker and Jo had gone on vacation to Hawaii in August 1981, but she died only two months later after being diagnosed with lung cancer, Hunter recounted.
After a long period of mourning, Barker entered a new "Mr. Man About Town" phase, said Holly Hallstrom, who was one of "Barker's Beauties" for almost 20 years.
"He knew he was the star of the biggest show in daytime, and Dorothy Jo wasn't there anymore, keeping him reined in," Hallstrom continued. "It was like he was unleashed and turned into this narcissistic egomaniac."
Drowning In Scandals
Dian Parkinson sued Barker for sexual harassment in 1994 over an alleged affair during 'The Price Is Right.'
He became embroiled in scandal after scandal, starting in 1994 when The Price Is Right model Dian Parkinson sued him for sexual harassment, claiming he'd forced her into a three-year affair.
She dropped the action, but in 1995, Hallstrom also sued him for wrongful firing and launching a media attack against her. That suit was settled in 2005.
Two other female employees also sued him for sexual harassment and discrimination and later received out-of-court payoffs.
Barker Never Forgot Love Jo
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Holly Hallstrom claimed Barker changed after Jo's death, describing a shift during his time on 'The Price Is Right.'
But despite all the accusations, Jo always had held a central place in his heart. He continued to miss her even decades after she passed away.
Accompanied by a caretaker, the feeble 93-year-old was spotted visiting her grave with a bouquet of daisies on Oct. 19, 2017, the 36th anniversary of her death.
That same year, Barker began telling friends: "I'm ready to die."
But it wasn't until nearly six years later that he would pass away from natural causes in August 2023 at the age of 99.
