Come on down! To Rod Roddy's funeral!

Rod Roddy, famed announcer on "The Price is Right", has died of colon, prostate, and boob cancer, and there wasn't a single major news website that carried the story on its main page. The owners of these websites should be promptly spayed or neutered, to control the "lousy, stupid jackass" population.

Yeah, I know it was Bob Barker who says the "spay or neuter your pets" line, but I have to write an entire column on Rod Roddy, for God's sake, so cut me some slack.

Doctors are still trying to determine whether it was the shiny and flamboyant suits Roddy wore that caused the cancer. Personally, I think it was just the purple ones. If I'm right, that may mean Prince is soon to follow. As they say, every cloud has a silver lining.

I admire Rod Roddy, and not just because he had a job that paid well and required little to no effort. No, I admire him because he stuck by his guns. When he joined "The Price is Right" in 1986, crazy clothes with sequins and rhinestones were in style. A few years later, when crazy clothes went out, Roddy continued to wear them, and unlike the mullet-wearing losers seen at damn near every corner of the city I live in, Roddy was able to pull it off without looking like a loser.

That's because his zany personality matched the crazy clothes. Every picture you see of Roddy, he's smiling like a goob. That's no accident. That's how he wanted to be seen, and that's how we all remember him: as a goofy, fun guy. When you look at a guy with a mullet, do you see them as some sort of god of rock n' roll? Of course not. That's why they're losers, and Roddy is a hero. Roddy wasn't just riding the bandwagon. He became the style he wore.

But don't take it from me, take it from Bob Barker, a man who has had sex with more attractive women than you can throw your shoe at: "He started wearing those jackets when he joined the show. He was quite a character. He was important to the success of the show. He had the spirit of 'The Price is Right.'"

For the record, you could probably throw your shoe at four attractive women with a chance of hitting all of them. Six if you have a thing for skinny women. Myself, I'm kind of frightened by women under 115 lbs. But then again, I have size 12 shoes, so I might still be able to hit six.

But hey, why are we just talking about "The Price is Right"? Rod Roddy was an announcer for a variety of shows, including "Soap", "Press Your Luck", and "Love Connection". He was also a sub-announcer on "The Family Feud" and "The New $25,000 Pyramid (which, for some reason or another, was actually a $100,000 pyramid). He was also an occasional guest on "Hollywood Squares", and anyone who works with Gilbert Gottfried has got to be cool.

When it came to "Hollywood Squares", Roddy was way cooler than Shadoe Stevens. Waaaay cooler.

This weekend, let's all remember Rod Roddy by purchasing sparkly clothing and running around the streets at odd hours of the morning shouting for people to "Come on down". For anyone who's still looking for a Halloween costume, this is your chance.

Elliott Smith committed suicide last week by stabbing himself in the chest. It's not often that I'm sad about the loss of a singer, but I'm sad about Elliott Smith. If any song explains perfectly what must have been going through his head, it's this one. "Everything Means Nothing to Me" by Elliott Smith

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Reader Comments

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Bec      Oct 30, 2003 • 5:14am   It's just not TV's year . Katers      Oct 29, 2003 • 3:42pm   Rest in peace, Rod Roddy. I remember when I was little and would watch the Price is Right every day. Man, that guy rocked. MrEnthusiasm      Oct 29, 2003 • 3:24pm   We've lost far too many great TV sidekicks. The death of Rod Roddy is equal in its impact to the passing last year of 'People's Court' bailiff Rusty Burrell. I salute them both. Dan L. Stock      Oct 29, 2003 • 7:50am   You should have posted "Junk Bond Trader" or "Son of Sam"

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