Peter Tomarken and his wife Kathleen were in their private plane

Press Your Luck TV game-show host Peter Tomarken and his wife Kathleen were killed on Monday when their light plane crashed in the ocean off the coastal suburb of Santa Monica.

The couple, who were transporting a cancer patient to a treatment center in San Diego, had just taken off in their Beechcraft about 9:45 a.m. when the engine failed.

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The plane went down near Santa Monica Pier in front of horrified spectators, reports Reuters.