Art Linkletter died on Wednesday at his home in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles. He was known as the friendly host who parlayed his talent for the ad-libbed interview of two of the television’s longest- running shows – “People Are Funny” and “House Party”. He had a great talent of pleasing others and getting them to open up. The highlight of his show was the segment where five schoolchildren ages 5 to 10 sat down to be interviewed by Mr. Linkletter. Women, who were the made three quarters of the audience for “House Party”, loved his easy and enthusiastic way with children. Mr. Linkletter made replies like that in “Kids Say the Damdest Things” which was illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, the creator of “Peanuts,” and its sequel, “Kids Still Say the Damdest Things.”
Mr. Linketter became a campaigner against drug use and an adviser to President Richard M. Nixon on drug policy shortly after his daughter Diane died by jumping from her sixth story apartment with reports that she had taken LSD, became depressed and lost her mind. He also spent his subsequent years on lecture tours, appearing in commercials and tending to his far-flung business interest that included oil wells and toys. He also wrote “Old Age Is Not for Sissies”. He was asked on what his secret for his long life was when he was in his 80s, he replied “You live between your ears. You can’t turn back the clock, but you can rewind it.”
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