Game show host Takashi Yamaguchi has died at 88 following a battle with lung cancer

Game show host Takashi Yamaguchi will be best remembered for hosting the TV Asahi quiz show Quiz Time Shock. According to his management company, he passed away from lung cancer at the age of 88 at a care home where he had been living.

Takashi Yamaguchi took over from Quiz Time Shock host Jiro Tamiya in 1978 and presented the show for eight years. Quiz Time Shock is a Japanese game show that first premiered in 1969, contestants have to answer questions in 60 seconds after being raised to the top of an on-set clock set piece.

As well as being a game show host, Takashi Yamaguchi was also an actor and attended the NHK Actor Training School after dropping out of the Faculty of Education at Waseda University.

According to The Sankei Shimburn, “His last appearance was in the political comedy film "I Don't Remember!", which was released in September 2019. At the request of director Koki Mitani, he played the role of Yuichiro Yanagi, the mentor of the Prime Minister played by Kiichi Nakai.

Takashi Yamaguchi was reportedly diagnosed with lung cancer while starring in historical drama Berabou. He is said to have passed away with his oldest son Taro by his side.

Takashi Yamaguchi appeared as Tokugawa Yoshimune in the period drama Ooka Echizen and also starred as Hiraga Gennai in Tenka Gomen. His other roles include the period dramas Minamoto no Yoshitsune, Ten to Chi to and Genroku Ryoran.

“The wake will be held from 6:00 to 7:00 pm on the 25th, and the funeral will be held from 9:30 to 11:00 am on the 26th, both at Yoyogi Funeral Hall (2-42-1 Nishihara, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo).”

Earlier this month, radio personality and Game Show host Wink Martindale passed away at the age of 91. Wink, who was a good friend of Elvis Presley, was known for hosting game shows such asTic-Tac-Dough, Gamit and High Rollers. He published his autobiography, Winking at Life back in 2000 and six years later, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.