Shortly after the 13th episode, on May 27, 1949, Ripley died of a heart attack and several of his friends substituted as host, including future Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Following the 13th episode, which aired on May 27, 1949, Robert Ripley succumbed to a heart attack. His colleagues then stepped in to fill his role, and some of them went on to host their own version of Ripley's Believe It or Not!.