Game show host Peter Tomarken and his wife Kathleen were killed this morning when a small airplane crashed just off the Pacific Coast, apparently due to engine trouble. Here's an article with the few other details that are currently available. Mr. Tomarken was 63 years old.
He had a background in magazines (he was an editor at Women's Wear Daily and Business Week, among others) which led him into advertising. Soon, he went from producing commercials to appearing in them and that led him into the world of game show hosting. He was best known from Press Your Luck, a popular CBS game show from 1983 to 1986 which still reruns on GSN. He also presided over Hit Man, Bargain Hunters, Wipeout and several other quiz programs, and did occasional acting jobs, usually as a TV news reporter. For a time, he was the host of a show on The Playboy Channel and a frequent emcee of infomercials. I thought he was always a classy and clever presence on my television, and the one time we met made me believe he was that way in real life, as well. He had a wicked sense of humor and would probably appreciate all remarks about him hitting the Ultimate Whammy today.