Late game show icon Peter Marshall, who passed away on August 15, 2024, at 98, found his greatest prize on an airplane in 1986. His third wife Laurie Marshall, 65, initially mistook him for being gay.
Laurie, a 25-year-old TWA employee at the time, found herself seated next to 60-year-old Peter in first class. Having recently seen him play Georges, a gay character, in the stage production of La Cage aux Folles (1984-1986), she jumped to a surprising conclusion. He later recounted this mix-up to Closer magazine:
She had seen me in La Cage and thought I was gay! That was the beginning.
Despite the 35-year age difference, their airplane meeting led to a love story lasting almost four decades. The pair wed on August 19, 1989, and were just shy of celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary when Peter died from kidney failure, as Mrs. Marshall revealed to the media.
Throughout their years together, the late actor often expressed she was his crowning achievement. Just days before his death, he shared a touching tribute on Facebook:
One supremely happy game show host hit the jackpot 38 years ago! The love of Laurie has been the greatest grand prize of all.
While his career boasted four Emmy Awards and induction into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame, he clearly valued his marriage above all else. On their 32nd anniversary in 2021, he gushed,
My daughter Suzi said that Laurie was the best thing that ever happened to me and our family. I can’t argue with that.
Laurie shared similar sentiments on their 30th anniversary, posting her own tribute,
She even shared 40 photos of their life together, joking that only her late mother would appreciate such a photo dump.
The couple’s bond was truly tested in 2021. They both contracted COVID-19, with doctors giving Peter a grim outlook. However, the fighter pulled through, and they both recovered. That same year, they also endured the heartbreaking loss of Peter’s son David. Through it all, Laurie remained his rock, true to the vows they’d made decades earlier.
While they didn’t have kids together, the Marshalls were proud parents to six dogs and eleven cats over the years. She playfully called herself the “evil step-mother” to her late hubby’s children from previous marriages, but her close relationship with them told a different story.
Now, Laurie is left with memories and their pets to comfort her at their home in Encino, Los Angeles.