Let’s Make a Deal host Hall dies at 96

Monty Hall, the genial host and co-creator of Let’s Make a Deal, the game show on which contestants in outlandish costumes shriek and leap at the chance to see if they will win the big prize or the booby prize behind door No. 3, died at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Saturday. He was 96.

A daughter, Joanna Gleason, confirmed his death. She said the cause was heart failure.

Let’s Make a Deal had its premiere in late 1963 and, with some interruptions, has been a television phenomenon ever since.

In 1973, Hall received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1988, Hall, who was born in Canada, was named to the Order of Canada by that country’s government in recognition of the millions he had raised for numerous charities. In 2013, he was presented with a lifetime achievement award at the Daytime Emmys.

Hall remained involved in Let’s Make a Deal to the end, as an owner of the show and an occasional guest. Interviewed in 2013, he gave Wayne Brady, his successor as host, his seal of approval.

“He’s making it his show,” Hall said. “He’s learning the star of the show is the contestant and to make them feel at home, make them feel like they came to your party.”