Pat Sajak and Vanna White React to ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Legend’s Death

Pat Sajak and Vanna White are paying tribute to a Wheel of Fortune legend. After it wasannounced earlier in January that long-time Wheel of Fortune director Dick Carson passed away in December at the age of 92, Sajak and White lent their voices to outpouring of tributes that poured in celebrating Carson’s life and legacy.

In a Jan. 10-dated tweet, Sajak wrote that he was “sad” to learn of Carson’s passing, the longtime host going on to recoginize Carson’s history on the game show when noting that Carson “directed Wheel or 20 years before retiring in 2000.” Sajak added, “as reserved midwesterners, it took us a while before we decided we and our wives might like to have dinner. We had many.” Sajak ended his tribute by sharing that he and his wife “send our love” to Carson’s family. White also paid tribute to Carson, sharing a throwback photo of herself and the legendary director on Instagram, where she wrote that she “will always cherish the years we spent together on [Wheel of Fortune] you were the best! I’m going to miss you.”

Born on June 4, 1929, in Clarinda, Iowa, Carson began his broadcasting career in Nebraska radio before he moved to the NBC affiliate in San Diego. He slowly climbed the ranks of local television and moved to Los Angeles in 1960 to direct children’s shows. Throughout his decades-long career, Carson added a number of credits to his name, including Get Smart, The Sammy Davis Show, and The Merv Griffin Show. He was also well-known for directing Wheel of Fortune, Carson remaining attached to the game show for a total of 22 years until his own retirement in 2000.

Carson’s family announced on Jan. 9 that he five-time Emmy-winning director died on Dec. 19 at his home in Studio City, California. Although an exact cause of death was not provided, his family said Carson passed away after a brief illness. Carson is survived by his wife of 43 years, Karlyn Carson; his sons Douglas and Christopher; his daughter Kathleen Ann Tucker; three granddaughters; his great-granddaughter; and his sister-in-law, Alexis Carson.

Following news of Carson’s passing, Wheel of Fortune shared a throwback video from Carson’s final episode directing the show showing Sajak, White, and Carson on the Wheel of Fortune set.The video was shared alongside a caption reading, “as we remember Director, Dick Carson, enjoy this look back at his time at Wheel of Fortune.”