Maggie Sajak Pens Tribute to Dad Pat for ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Legend’s Milestone Birthday

We’d like to buy some tissues after reading Maggie Sajak‘s tribute to her dad, Pat. The former Wheel of Fortune host celebrated his 80th birthday with a touching tribute from his daughter. And some fans were shocked at his age!

“Today is my dad’s 80th birthday…which is weird because my bestie that I joke with, travel with, work with and make silly videos with has the maturity of a much younger man,” Maggie captioned the Instagram post with a laughing emoji on October 26.

“Happy happy birthday to the most incredible father I could ever ask for. It is truly a gift to be your daughter, and my appreciation for who you are and all you have done grows every day.”

“Now please stop winning our Wordle competition,” Maggie ended. The post was set to the song “Mr. Blue Sky” by Electric Light Orchestra. The Instagram post featured videos of the father/daughter duo on their various adventures.

The various clips included videos Maggie had gotten Pat to do where he lip-synced to a popular song and did a TikTok trend to it.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Maggie Sajak (@maggiesajak)

Others included them in a golf cart on the set of Wheel of Fortune, behind the scenes of the game show, as well as various baseball and hockey games, moments where Maggie purposefully annoyed him, Disneyland trips, and much more.

Pat hosted Wheel of Fortune for 41 seasons before retiring in 2024 at the age of 78. Since then, fans have gotten a glimpse into his life from various posts by Maggie. Ryan Seacrest then took over for him, hosting alongside Vanna White, who has also been on the show beside Pat for decades. Pat is enjoying retirement as he enters the new decade of his life.

Fans left various birthday messages in the comments. “There’s no way he’s 80. Happy birthday!!!” a fan said with crying emojis.

“Happy birthday! Pat looking great,” another said.

“Happy birthday! He doesn’t look a day over 60. 80 has never looked better,” a third added.

“Happy birthday, Pat. Looking fabulous,” another said.

“Happy birthday, Pat! Can’t believe he’s 80, he doesn’t look it. Here’s to many more for him!” one last fan said.