Robert Ray "Rod" Roddy

 Robert Ray "Rod" Roddy (September 28, 1937 – October 27, 2003)

He was primarily known for his role as an offstage announcer on game shows. Among the shows that he announced are the CBS game shows Whew! and Press Your Luck. He is widely recognized by the signature line, "Come on down!" from The Price Is Right, and it appears on his grave marker, although the phrase was originated and made popular by his predecessor Johnny Olson. Roddy succeeded original announcer Johnny Olson on The Price is Right and held the role from 1986 until his death in 2003, and as of 2015, remains the longest-serving announcer on the current incarnation of the show. On many episodes of Press Your Luck and The Price is Right, Roddy appeared on camera. Roddy was also the voice of Mike the microphone on Disney's House of Mouse from 2001 to 2003. Roddy announced the sitcom Soap from 1977 to 1981, where he provided the opening and closing narration: "Confused? You won't be after this week's episode of Soap!". He replaced Casey Kasem who quit the series after the pilot due to the adult themes the series promoted. His first work as a game show announcer was on Whew!, which aired from 1979 to 1980. From there, he went on to announce several other game shows, including Battlestars (1981–1982), Love Connection (1983–1985, 1986), Hit Man (1983) and the popular Press Your Luck (1983–1986). Roddy also voiced a number of national television commercials, including those for Pennzoil and Public Storage.

Roddy was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2001, and underwent chemotherapy, but continued his work on The Price is Right. However, in addition, he was later diagnosed with male breast cancer and was unable to work on the show for Season 31. Roddy becoming a spokesperson for early detection of cancer in his last years. In an interview with CBS, Roddy commented to the general public: “I could have prevented all this with a colonoscopy, and of course, that's the campaign I've been on since I had the first surgery. To everybody out there, get a mammogram! It can happen to men, too. Rod Roddy died on October 27, 2003 at age 66, and is buried at Greenwood Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Fort Worth, TX.