Bob Barker secretly battled Alzheimer's for 'years' before his death

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Famous game show host Bob Barker dies at 99

Lifestyle expert Josh McBride discusses the passing of Bob Barker, who hosted ‘The Price is Right’ for 35 years. 

Bob Barker, beloved former host of "The Price is Right," died at his home Aug. 26.

At the time, it was announced Barker, who was 99, died of natural causes. 

Fox News Digital has confirmed he had a number of conditions that contributed to his death, namely Alzheimer's, which has been listed as his official cause of death.

His death certificate, obtained by Fox News Digital, detailed that Barker had been dealing with the disease for an unspecified number of years, and that hypertension, hypothyroidism and hyperlipidemia also contributed to his death.

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Bob Barker's cause of death was listed as Alzheimer's. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)

"Up until several months before his passing, Bob Barker routinely participated in conversation and bedside exercises," his girlfriend of 40 years, Nancy Burnet, told Entertainment Tonight.

When sharing the news of Barker's death with Fox News Digital, his longtime publicist, Roger Neal, shared that Burnet was the co-executer of Barker's estate and that she had acted as his caregiver and "kept him thriving and healthy for many years."

"I can't stress enough the great care that Nancy took of him," Neal told ET. "It was around the clock. The fact that he got to stay in his home — the same house since the 1950s — to be able to live there his whole adult life and be able to be at home when he passed, I think it was very fortunate.

Bob Barker was married to Dorothy Jo Barker from 1945 until her death in 1981. (Elmer Holloway/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank)

"The last five years of his life she was completely devoted to making sure that his health care, that his care on a daily, around-the-clock basis, was the top. In my opinion, [Nancy] is a saint for having done that. I don't think anybody could have done the job she's done. I think she was the absolute best person to take care of him."

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In 2013, before Barker's 90th birthday, he did a promotional video for PETA in which he spoke about Alzheimer's. 

"I became a vegetarian more than 30 years ago, and almost immediately felt healthier, and I had more energy. But being vegetarian doesn't just help your body; it also helps your mind," he said in the video. "Studies show that the more meat you eat, the greater your risk is of developing Alzheimer's disease.

"So, to protect your memory, go vegetarian, and keep your wits about you until a ripe old age."

Barker hosted "The Price is Right" for 35 years before retiring in 2007. (Mark Davis)

Although Barker was best known for hosting "The Price is Right," his career began in radio. He started hosting a local radio show while attending college in Missouri, then moved to Florida and took on a job as a news editor and announcer for a station there. Shortly after, he moved to Los Angeles, where he hosted his own radio program, "The Bob Barker Show."

From 1956 to 1975, Barker hosted the game show "Truth or Consequences." In 1972, he took on the job of hosting the revival of another game show that originated in the '50s, "The Price is Right."

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In June 2007, the last episode featuring Barker aired. He retired, and Drew Carey took over that October. Barker made a handful of appearances on the popular show in the following years, the last airing in April 2015.

Barker was married to his high school sweetheart, Dorothy Jo Gideon, from 1945 until her death in 1981. Two years later, he began dating Burnet, although their relationship has been described as a tad untraditional.

Bob Barker and Nancy Burnet were together from 1983 until his death in 2023. They never married. (Tibrina Hobson/FilmMagic)

After his passing, Burnet revealed to People that when they began dating, they agreed that they never wanted to marry. 

"But as the years went by, he proposed to me many times. I just said, 'I just don't want to be married.' Our humor was very dry. We kidded in a way. And he said, 'Not even to me?' And I said, 'Especially not to you.'" she said.

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Barker's publicist has said there will be no funeral or memorial service at the legendary host's request, and Barker will be buried beside Gideon at Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery in Los Angeles.