He was looking back on the “Happy” memories.
On Saturday, Adam Sandler paid tribute to the late TV legend Bob Barker, who made a hilarious cameo in the actor’s 1996 sports comedy “Happy Gilmore.”
“The man. The myth. The best,” Sandler, 56, wrote in an emotional X (formerly Twitter) post recalling their scene together. “Such a sweet funny guy to hang out with. Loved talking to him. Loved laughing with him. Loved him kicking the crap out of me.”
“He will be missed by everyone I know,” continued the tweet. “Heartbreaking day. Love to Bob always and his family! Thanks for all you gave us!”
Sandler and the “Price is Right” host shared a memorable moment during the film when Barker (playing himself) was paired with a smack-talking former hockey player-turned-golfer Happy Gilmore (Sandler) for the fictional Pepsi Pro-Am tournament.
As the duo’s standing in the tournament begins to deteriorate, Barker and Gilmore come to blows before eventually engaging in an all-out brawl after Gilmore throws a punch.
“I don’t want a piece of you,” Barker declares. “I want the whole thing.”
Then, Gilmore manages to deliver a subtle jab at the game show host. “The price is wrong, b–ch,” spits Gilmore before Barker manages to kick him in the face.
According to Barker’s rep, the iconic game show host died at the age of 99 due to natural causes at his Hollywood Hills home on Saturday.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce that the World’s Greatest MC who ever lived, Bob Barker, has left us,” his longtime spokesman Roger Neal confirmed to The Post.
Barker — who is also remembered for his work as an outspoken animal rights activist — was an 18-time Daytime Emmy award-winner as well as a recipient of an Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995.
“Bob Barker was a Daytime television mainstay for generations [who] helped to define the game show genre, cementing the ‘Price is Right’ as a powerhouse format that has remained essentially unchanged for more than half a century,” Adam Sharp, president and CEO of the National Academy of Television Art and Sciences, said to The Post. “You don’t mess with perfection. His championship of the craft and for animal welfare were equal in their exuberance. His presence will be missed greatly by the Emmy community.”
The consummate host made his debut in 1956 at the helm of CBS’ “Truth or Consequences” game show, but his legacy was cemented on “The Price is Right,” leading the series for more than three decades before announcing his retirement in 2007 and passing his duties along to comedian Drew Carey.
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