Doyle Rodgers, furniture salesman known as Wolfman, dead at age 67

<p>Doyle Rodgers, the white-haired, full-bearded furniture salesman better known to Atlanta television audiences as the Wolfman, died Wednesday. He was 67.</p><p>Rodgers never recovered from a heart attack he suffered at his Smyrna home two weeks ago, said Donna Anderson, his daughter. Rodgers died at WellStar Cobb Hospital.</p><p>He went out his own way, Anderson said. When he knew he was not going to get any better, he asked that they remove him from everything and put him in a private room.</p><p>After serving a stint in the Army and later earning a law degree, Mr. Rodgers bought the Gallery Furniture store in his 40s.</p><p>An advertising representative said the hirsute Rodgers kind of looked like the Wolfman. And Mr. Rodgers ran with the idea.</p><p>For 26 years, Mr. Rodgers bare-bones spots for his stores in College Park and Gainesville peered into Atlanta living rooms as many as 20 times a day.</p><p>Audiences drew comfort in Mr. Rodgers deliberately stilted screen presence and the catchphrase that ended each homespun ad: And, hey, ask for the Wolfman.</p><p>The schtick worked.</p><p>Anderson, who started appearing in the ads as a teenager 21 years ago, said when customers come to the business, 90 percent of the time they ask for the Wolfman.</p><p>Rodgers is also survived by his wife of 48 years, Betty; three other children, Steve Rodgers, Jeff Rodgers and Nancy Smith, who are all involved in the family business.</p><p>His body was cremated Thursday. A memorial service will be held at Sharon Baptist Church at 11 a.m. Saturday.</p>