June 2nd, 1996: Ray Combs, comedian, host of 'Family Feud' television game show, dies in Glendale, California, at age 40, by suicide

"Ray Combs became disoriented after his firing from Family Frud and his subsequent financial trouble. He would make frequent phone calls from his apartment to his wife, sobbing hysterically and taking pills. Debbie quickly called 911, and paramedics promptly responded. After he was treated and released and Debbie was driving him home, he leapt from the car at a red light and disappeared behind some houses.

A few hours later, he was seen in front of Debbie's house shouting and acting irrationally. She sent one of his children to lock the door, and Combs became hysterical when he discovered he was being kept out. He hit his head against the wall of the house and Debbie called the police. When they arrived, Combs claimed he had slipped in the jacuzzi. Police then determined that Ray had become suicidal.

Combs was eventually admitted to the psychiatric ward of Glendale Adventist Medical Center and placed on a 72-hour mental observation hold. At about 4:10 AM Pacific Daylight Time on Sunday, June 2, 1996, he committed suicide by removing the sheets from his bed and using them to hang himself in the closet of his hospital room. His family relied upon a $25,000 donation from Johnny Carson to pay for funeral expenses. Combs is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Hamilton, Ohio."

:rip: Ray!!

:rip: Ray Combs

I wish he were still around! He was special.

I wish he were still around! He was special.
To me, Richard Dawson was/is the DEFINITIVE FF host, but Ray Combs was truly a worthy successor. So sad that he couldn't overcome his demons. :(

I loved Combs on FF. He was witty, irreverent and yet never mean spirited.

:rip: Ray

I loved Combs on FF. He was witty, irreverent and yet never mean spirited.

:rip: Ray
An excellent descriptions of Ray Combs work on FF! He was an excellent game show host. It's such a shame how things turned out.

After Richard Dawson, he was the best FF host. I always enjoyed watching him. FF hasn't been the same since he died. So sad what happened to him.

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Almost immediately after Richard Dawson's tenure on Family Feud came to an end upon the show's cancellation, creator Mark Goodson began workshopping a reboot of his most successful game show in a long career of smash hits. He landed a fresh talent in comedian Ray Combs, and the show returned to television in 1988. However, this iteration of the show never took off like its predecessor. In this video, we explore why hopes were so high for this revival project, why it didn't work, and the many bizarre efforts to keep it afloat -- including a truly baffling host change near the end of the show's run.


00:00 Intro
00:51 Starting a Revival
03:33 Who is Ray Combs?
06:48 Moving to CBS
09:05 The 1987 Pilot
13:44 The Show Premieres
16:58 Stiff Competition
21:06 "The Family Feud Challenge"
24:08 Downfall & CBS Cancellation
27:47 "Send for the man!"
31:20 The Revamped 1994 Season
34:39 Epilogue on Dawson
35:47 Epilogue on Combs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZcZQflNOxs)