- Survivors include his wife of 56 years, June, a former model; their children Sean and Erin; and three grandchildren. "Today we lost the greatest father, friend and husband anybody could ever wish for," the family said in a statement. "While he provided decades of entertainment to millions of people, his greatest victory was his growth as a human being - rising from a childhood filled with challenges including great poverty to provide an amazing life for his family. The world is a better place for his having been here".
- Was a talented singer and sang during many of the pageants he hosted.
- Was a straight man to comedian Sid Caesar and he was discovered at the Catskill Mountains in New York.
- After NBC canceled 'Sale of the Century', Jim decided to retire from hosting and moved to Oregon with his wife. A few years later, they relocated to the East Coast, splitting their time between North Carolina and Florida.
- Was considered as host of the revamp version of Card Sharks (1978), for both daytime (CBS) and nighttime (syndication), but was under contract hosting Sale of the Century (1983), hence giving the jobs separately to Bob Eubanks, in the daytime, and Bill Rafferty, during the nighttime.
- Has three grandchildren.
- Hosted the Miss Canada Pageant on CTV for 24 years, between 1967-1990.
- Two children: Sean and Erin.
- Played basketball in college and was nicknamed "Big Jim" for his height. About the same height as fellow game show host Bob Barker, who also played basketball in college.
- Though he had dark brown hair, Perry's hair actually went prematurely gray in his early 30s and he dyed it for the remainder of his career.
- Was once hit by a bag of flour live on TV during a pageant he hosted from a protester. Although briefly shaken by the incident, Perry dusted himself off and continued hosting the show.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content