Game show host Allen Ludden, best known as the longtime host of the popular game show Password and as the husband of beloved actress Betty White, died of cancer at the age of 63 more than four decades ago, leaving a legacy that fans still remember today. Born Allen Packard Ellsworth on October 5, 1917, in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, Ludden’s early life carried both tragedy and transformation. His biological father, Elmer Ellsworth, died of the Spanish Flu in the winter of 1919 when Ludden was just a child. After his mother remarried, Ludden adopted his stepfather’s surname and became Allen Ludden.
The family relocated to Texas when he was nine years old. An academically gifted student, Ludden majored in English and dramatics at the University of Texas, graduating with Phi Beta Kappa honors in 1940. He earned his Master of Arts degree in English the following year. During World War II, he served in the United States Army as an officer in charge of entertainment in the Pacific, rising to the rank of captain and receiving a Bronze Star before leaving service in 1946.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Ludden began his media career advising teenagers through magazine columns and a radio show called Mind Your Manners. He eventually moved into television, hosting a series of game shows. Although he hosted programs such as College Bowl, the Liars Club, Win with the Stars, and Stumpers, he became best known for hosting Password from 1961 to 1975. Ludden married Margaret Moell on October 11, 1943, and the couple had three children.
Margaret tragically died of cancer in 1961. Years later, Ludden met Betty White while working on Password. He reportedly proposed to her at least twice before she finally accepted. The couple married in 1963 and remained together until Ludden’s death.
Beyond Password, Ludden and White appeared together professionally on episodes of The Odd Couple and The Love Boat. Ludden also hosted a talk and variety show called Allen Ludden’s Gallery. In 1979, Ludden began hosting an updated version of the show titled Password Plus on NBC. However, chemotherapy treatments for stomach cancer forced him to take a month-long leave of absence.
While on vacation in Monterey, California, on October 7, 1980, he slipped into a coma. Tom Kennedy stepped in as host of Password Plus. Although Ludden hoped to return to the show, his cancer worsened. Allen Ludden died in Los Angeles on June 9, 1981.
He was buried beside his father in the Ellsworth family plot at Graceland Cemetery in his hometown of Mineral Point, Wisconsin. White famously spoke about her late husband years later in an interview with Larry King. Asked whether she would ever remarry, she responded: “Once you’ve had the best, who needs the rest?
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