"If I wouldn't have left 'Wheel of Fortune,' I'd be making about $10 million a year now," Woolery recalled in a 2003 interview.

However, Pat Sajak was ultimately given the hosting role following Woolery's departure in 1981 over a contract dispute. Woolery later acknowledged that he would have been earning a higher salary if he hadn’t left the game show, as reported by Parade.

Chuck Woolery, the game show veteran who was the original host of "Wheel of Fortune" and went on to host "Love Connection," has died at 83.