Is Ken Ober Dead, or is this yet another fake Internet death rumor? Sadly, yes, the former host of MTV’s ‘Remote Control’ has died. Read his biography here, along with photos and video below.
Anyone who remembers the old MTV, remembers Ken Ober. His casual sarcasm lent itself well to the sensibilities of the REAL Empty-V generation—the one that used to watch music videos, with the white lettering in the bottom left corner letting you know the artists, song, album, etc. Now you’re lucky if you get a 45 second clip.
To be fair, Remote Control was the beginning of the new MTV, and in a lot of ways ushered in the network we now know today.
Sitting in raggedy armchairs, contestants were quizzed about popular culture, movies, music, and television. They would use an old school looking ‘clicker’ remote to buzz in or prompt the questions.
Various outlets are reporting that 52-year-old Ken Ober had complained of a headache and flu-like symptoms before being found dead on Sunday, though the cause of death has yet to be confirmed.
In terms of a biography of Ken Ober, there is not too much information available. We do know that he was born in 1957, and that he grew up in New England. He signed on with MTV back in 1987, and remained the host of Remote Control for five seasons. Ober worked on a few other game shows, such as ‘Make Me Laugh,’ ‘Smush,’ and ‘Tough Crowd With Colin Quinn.’ More recently, he worked as a writer on ‘Mind Of Mencia.’
He will be missed. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family. Rest in peace.
Check out a photo of Ken Ober below, along with a video of him as game show host.