Wink Martindale, a radio and television personality best known to viewers as the host of iconic game shows like “Gambit” and “Tic-Tac-Dough,” passed away.
There’s something charming about him.
For many Americans growing up, Wink Martindale was more than just a well-known TV personality; he was a voice of solace, pleasure, and happiness.
People can still recall the excitement of High Rollers, the fast-paced intensity of Headline Chasers, and the joy of watching Tic-Tac-Dough. However, Gambit struck in a different way. The show that really resonated with viewers was that one. It seemed as though Wink was welcoming you into something unique because of his charisma and the way he made the game come to life.
On December 4, 1933, Winston Conrad Martindale was born in Jackson, Tennessee. At the age of 17, he began his career in broadcasting by working as a disc jockey at WPLI in his hometown, earning $25 a week.
“When I was a kid in Jackson, Tenn., one of my playmates, Jimmy McCord, couldn’t say ‘Winston,’ which is my given name, and he had a speech impediment, and it came out sounding like ‘Winky,'” he said in a 2014 interview with ABC News, reflecting on how he came by his well-known moniker. Winston became Winky as a result, and I entered the business and Winked!
Martindale did more than just spin records in his early career. His first TV appearance was as host of the sci-fi children’s program Mars Patrol on WHBQ-TV. However, it was obvious right away that Wink was destined for show business, whether it was in front of the camera or behind the microphone.
His first significant break came in 1972 when he was hired to host the brand-new game show Gambit on CBS. Martindale continued to serve as emcee for four years once the show proved to be a success.
Inside his relationship with Elvis Presley
Wink was in the midst of rock ‘n’ roll history prior to becoming a game show superstar, and it all began with his close friend Elvis Presley.
Martindale was showing some friends around the Memphis WHBQ radio station on the evening of July 10, 1954. At that point, he became aware of something strange: during his colleague Dewey Phillips’ 9 p.m. broadcast, phone lines were blazing. Why? “That’s All Right,” a brand-new song from Elvis Presley’s debut album, was making waves.
Five days prior, Sam Phillips, a producer unrelated to Dewey, had produced the song at Sun Studio. On July 6, Sam handed the record to WHBQ, and by July 10, listeners were taking notice. There was only one issue with Dewey’s immediate desire to interview Elvis on-air: no one could locate him.
Wink then grabbed the phone and dialed the Presley home. Gladys, Elvis’ mother, responded and said that her son had gone to a movie to decompress since he was so anxious about the song’s reception. She did as Wink asked and brought him down to the studio.
Dewey sat Elvis down for an interview once he arrived with his parents. The finest aspect? Elvis was live on the air, but he was unaware of it. Wink would later remember that Elvis acknowledged that he was so shy at the time that he probably couldn’t have spoken if he had known.
This event contributed to Elvis Presley’s rise to fame and wasn’t merely a footnote in music history. Wink Martindale was present to see it happen.
The aspect of Elvis that caught him off guard
Wink Martindale found that his kindness was what really impressed him about his longtime friend Elvis Presley, not just his notoriety or music.
Martindale reportedly remarked, “What surprised him most about Presley was that he was a giver.”
“Very few people were aware that he donated literally millions and millions of dollars to nonprofits both domestically and internationally,” he said.
Just before he married Priscilla in 1967, Wink’s wife, Sandra, had dated Elvis Presley intermittently before she married Martindale in 1975.
In an unexpected turn of events, however, Sandra attributed her discovery of her true love to the King himself.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, she stated in a 2015 interview that “Elvis is responsible for me marrying Wink.”
I thought, ‘He must be a wonderful guy,’ since I adored Tennessee, when [Martindale] mentioned that he was from there. I adored every single guy. Elvis was such a great part of my life that I loved everything about Tennessee.
The reason for Wink Martindale’s death
Long into his elder years, Wink continued to be involved in the entertainment industry. Hosting the nationally and globally syndicated radio program The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll, a two-hour weekend program that examined the music of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, was one of his last endeavors. Martindale was 88 years old at the time.
Regretfully, on April 15, 2025, Wink Martindale’s extraordinary life came to an end. At the age of 91, he died of cancer in a Rancho Mirage, California, hospital. Martindale, who spent an amazing 74 years in Hollywood, was surrounded by family, including his cherished wife Sandra.
His beloved Chihuahua, Dude, his daughters Lisa, Lyn, and Laura, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and his “honorary” son Eric are all living.
Wink Martindale’s legacy as a game show host is judged not only by the games he hosted but also by the joy he brought into so many homes and the memories he created.
He was a friend and a constant presence that made you feel like you were a part of the show, not just a host. We shall always cherish Wink’s contribution to TV history, despite the fact that the series are no longer airing. Rest in peace!
