Bob Barker made millions, so why did he say
he wanted to die penniless? Here's where his money went.
Bob Barker was best known as the suave long-running host of the CBS TV game
show The Price is Right. On August 31, 2023, less than a week after Barker died at age 99,
the show honored him with an hour-long special. Drew Carey, the show's current host, said,
"Most people remember Bob from the 35 years he spent hosting The Price Is Right. So it's
easy to forget that for 18 years, he was a fixture in America's living rooms for 'Truth
or Consequences,' a radio host before that, and a naval aviator during World War II."
"Uh, Bob was an amazing man."
Barker died at his home in the Hollywood Hills on the morning of August 26, 2023,
from "natural causes," according to the Times of San Diego. Later, however,
Barker's death certificate revealed that he died from complications of Alzheimer's disease with
other contributing factors. The death certificate indicated Barker had been diagnosed years before
with Alzheimer's, but gave no specific date of when he first began experiencing symptoms,
according to People. His companion of 40 years, Nancy Burnet, told ABC 7,
"Up until two months before Bob Barker's passing,
he routinely participated in conversation and bedside exercises."
He spent his final days watching reruns of Two and a Half Men, according to TMZ. Barker,
who had no children, didn't have a funeral or even a memorial,
and much of his estate went to support animal rights organizations.
Alzheimer's Disease is the most common form of dementia. It progressively destroys nerve
connections in the brain but doesn't actually kill you; rather it's the complications that
arise from the disease, such as pneumonia brought on by aspirating food and beverages, according
to UCLA Health. The other diseases listed on Bob Barker's death certificate include hypertension,
commonly known as high blood pressure, and hypothyroidism, in which the body doesn't
produce enough thyroid hormone, slowing down the metabolism. Barker also had high cholesterol.
Though it's unknown when Barker, a staunch animal rights supporter,
was diagnosed with the disease, the legendary host once did a Public Service Announcement
on behalf of PETA called Go Vegetarian, Prevent Alzheimer's. The message was that
the more meat a person consumes the greater their chance of developing Alzheimer's.
"So to protect your memory, eat vegetarian and keep your wits about you into a ripe old age."
Barker's claims have proven to be untrue. A 2021 study published in The American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition found links between processed meat and dementia, but the
consumption of unprocessed meat actually showed a reduced likelihood of dementia. Regardless,
Barker retained his own faculties for most of his life before eventually succumbing to the disease.
In a somewhat unusual move, Bob Barker's friends and family did
not have a funeral or even a memorial for him. This was the way he wanted it,
according to Barker's publicist Roger Neal, who told the Daily News,
"He just felt that should be something very private. So we're just following
his wishes. He wanted the burial to be private."
They cremated Barker and have plans to bury him in ​​Forest Lawn Memorial Park next to
his wife of more than 35 years, Dorothy, who died of cancer in 1981, per ABC 7.
Barker was worth $70 million at the height of his financial success, but according to Celebrity Net
Worth, he had vowed to "die broke," because he wanted to leave his money to charities that work
to help animals. Entertainment Tonight reported that Barker had made good on his promise by
leaving the majority of his estate to 40 different animal rights and military organizations.
"We'll also remember Bob for his tireless work on behalf of all animals."
Among the charities that received funds are a wild burro and donkey rescue,
who posted their gratitude toward Barker and Burnet on Facebook, saying they are planting
a tree in his honor. Funds also went to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and United
Activists for Animal Rights charity, which Nancy Burnet runs. Burnet told Fortune in a statement,
"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."