The famous winner of a popular quiz show has passed away after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Cary Young died peacefully at a Melbourne retirement village at the age of 83.
Young was a regular contestant on the 1980s quiz show Sale of the Century and won a record 60 times.
Mr Young’s family shared a tribute to him on Thursday, saying he will be remembered for being an ordinary bloke who captured the hearts of Australians around the country.
“People just had this affection for him because he was just this very average person. He wasn’t an academic or professional,” his daughter Michelle said in a statement to the Herald Sun.
“He was working in the meatworks when he went on the show – he saw an opportunity to make a better life for his family.”
A native New Zealander, Mr Young originally picked up a knack for general knowledge when, as a child, he was stuck in bed with asthma and had to read to fend off the boredom.
Brydon Coverdale, best known for being one of the “chasers” on The Chase Australia, also shared a tribute for the late Cary Young, hailing him a “quiz legend”.
“Cary became a really recognisable face on Australian television throughout that era, despite the fact he was just a normal, everyday person,” Mr Coverdale said.
“He would go through encyclopedias and sources and write a whole list of names and memorise them.”
TV personality Mark Humphries also commented on social media, saying, “Oh man. What a legend.”
Mr Young became a household name in 1982 when he became a regular champion on the quiz show, hosted by Tony Barber.
Since then he appeared on another 59 episodes of Sale of the Century and he was honoured as the show’s most well-known champion.
Image credits: Nine
