Pat Sajak Thanks 'Wheel of Fortune' Fans in Heartfelt Pre-Taped Goodbye

Pat Sajak's run on "Wheel of Fortune" ends tonight -- and before his last episode even airs, he's already bidding the audience farewell, getting ahead of the looming moment.

A pre-taped goodbye from Pat was released Friday -- well ahead of 'Wheel' airing later this evening -- and it looks like we already got a sense of what he's going to say on TV ... his remarks are incredibly heartfelt as he reflects on his time on the game show.

Watch ... PS says he feels privileged to have been invited into people's homes for more than 40 years -- something he says he feels came with a particular responsibility.

Pat explains he always believed politics and social issues had no place on 'Wheel' ... 'cause he felt he needed to give folks a place to enjoy some good old family fun -- and that's exactly what he delivered.

He adds the show started as just a game ... but then, over time, grew to so much more -- and, he says it's an honor to play a small part in some big moments in people's lives.

Of course, "Wheel of Fortune" has already seen a teary goodbye from Vanna White who says Pat made her who she is. Vanna's sticking around for future seasons of the show -- taking up the job alongside Ryan Seacrest.

FWIW ... Pat's already loading up his post-'Wheel' schedule -- revealing he's going to do a community theater play in Hawaii titled "Prescription: Murder," kicking off next summer, and he's hoping for grandkids.