'The Golden Bachelor': Meet 71-Year-Old Gerry Turner, the Spinoff's First Lead

etonline.com:

is the first-ever Golden Bachelor! During Monday's episode of , the 71-year-old widower and father of two was announced as the inaugural leading man for 's upcoming senior spinoff series, .Describing himself as «71 years young,» Turner gushes, «It's never too late to fall in love again.»The Indiana resident was previously married to his high school sweetheart, Toni, who died in 2017 after becoming ill just six weeks after she retired.

Gerry says that he has spoken to his late wife about his TV opportunity, saying on «For a while, I was having a hard time figuring out if she was OK… but we always told each other, when one of us goes, we want the other to be happy.

She's up there rooting. She's saying, 'Yeah, Gerry, do this!'»Meet Gerry Turner, a 71-year-old father of two ready to find love again! ❤️#TheGoldenBachelor@goldenbachabcpic.twitter.com/BInRx9HbTjTurner is a father of two daughters, who are very excited for their dad's new role.

He says he's looking for someone with «high energy,» who might play pickleball and golf. As for whether there's a wedding special in his future, Turner notes, «I wouldn't discount it.» According to ABC's press release, Turner is a retired restauranteur who lives in a beautiful home on a lake in Indiana.