Sad date

A wrestling site, of all places, reminds me of one of the sadder anniversaries in game shows. On June 2, 1996 Family Feud host Ray Combs committed suicide at a Glandale, CA hospital.

The wrestling connection is a few appearances that Combs made as an announcer at Wrestlemania and other events. The linked story recaps the facts of Combs' life and death well enough. He was facing mounting debts, health problems, marital issues, and professional setbacks when he took his own life.

At least Buzzr has now brought back some of his Feud episodes. I've always thought that he was underrated among Feud's many hosts. He had the tough job of following (and being followed by) Richard Dawson, and he's usually suffered in the comparison. But in my opinion he was quite an improvement over the bored, mumbling Dawson of Richard's later years on Feud. Just as, in a similar heresy, I think McLean Stevenson was a much better center-seat panelist on Match Game than Dawson in his later, sour years on that show.

Wikipedia tells me one thing I did not know, to use a phrase popularized by a certain talk show host. "Johnny Carson, who had given Combs his first break in show business, sent [Combs' widow] Debbie a check for $25,000, writing to her: 'I hope this will ease the burden.'"

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