RAY COMBS

(1956 - 1996)

When it comes to great hosts, Ray Combs was no exception. The man who was the second host of Family Feud, the first host of Family Challenge, a great comedian and great speaker, one who never will be forgotten.
Raymond Neil Combs, Jr (nickname Ray) was born on April 3rd, 1956 in Hamilton, OH. His claim to fame was comedy, moving to Los Angeles in 1983. He was doing stand-up comedy for sitcom audiences, which caught the attention of Johnny Carson of The Tonight Show. In October 1986, Carson invited Combs to be on The Tonight Show, where Combs' reputation went soaring with this unforgettable stand-up skit thanks to MSTS1:

In the long history of The Tonight Show, Combs was the first comedian ever to receive a standing ovation for such a comedic routine. Pretty soon, he was given warm-up duties for Amen and The Golden Girls.
In 1987, Combs became a celebrity panelist on John Davidson's version of Hollywood Squares, and was also given a brief cameo appearance as a police officer in Overboard starring Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn. Also in his television and movie career, he appeared in The Facts of Life as a background character, and even led the audience to sing a bad rendition of the theme of The Brady Bunch on Hollywood Squares. He also appeared as a guest at WWE Survivor Series in 1992:


Image credit to blogspot.com

But, what made Combs a more prominent star of television was that when Family Feud was brought back to air in the late 1980s after its cancellation in September 1985 with Richard Dawson, Combs was slated to be the new host. The show debuted on July 4th, 1988, the 212th birthday of America. As an opening gig, Combs said he had been studying the CBS game shows and ended it by saying, "Let's have the first item up for bids," a parody that was really from The Price is Right. This here is part 1 of Ray Combs' premiere from 1988:

In 1992, Family Feud initiated a Bullseye round to try and up winnings from $5,000 to a top cash value of $20,000. But, the ratings of the Feud began to decline with the death of Feud creator and game show activist, Mark Goodson. When Jonathan Goodson, the son of Mark, took the reigns of the show, as ratings slipped in 1994, he decided to give Combs the pink slip and bring back Richard Dawson. On the finale of Combs hosting the show, he didn't stick around to talk to the families. He just left the stage. It was also mentioned somewhere that he may have left the studio in the process.
Combs couldn't land much of anywhere else after the Feud. Despite he kept trying to get back in touch with television, all had failed. In 1995 to 1996, he hosted the Family Channel's Family Challenge, which was something like Family Double Dare on Nickelodeon, though doing stunts all the time. Family Challenge came on right after Masters of the Maze with Mario Lopez. Soon after, the Family Channel became FOX Family, and is now ABC Family.
In Ray's personal life, he was married to his wife Debbie and they together had 6 children. He was also a Mormon and was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But soon after his removal from Family Feud, in July 1994, Combs was involved in a wreck that nearly paralyzed him. Soon after, his business partner had a dispute with him, which led to financial troubles after the closing of his comedy club, CaddyCombs. He had also separated from Debbie and the bank foreclosed on his home.
And then, the worst came for Ray. On June 1st, 1996, Debbie had received upsetting and frantic phone calls from Ray. She called paramedics, who promptly responded and treated him for an overdose of valium and was released several hours later. At a stop light, Ray jumped out of the car and hid. Not much later, he tried to get in Debbie's house after he was locked out, and he became hysterical. He claimed he slipped in a jacuzzi, and police determined that Ray was becoming suicidal, and that's what happened.
He was admitted to Glendale Adventist Medical Center, placed under a 72-hour mental observation hold. At approximately 4:10 AM (PDT), Combs grabbed his bedsheets and hung himself in his hospital room closet. Combs' family relied on a $25,000 donation from Johnny Carson for the funeral expenses, and to this day, Ray Combs is buried in Greenwood Cemetary in Hamilton, OH with this as his grave marker:


Image donated by Toni Combs at findagrave.com

In all honesty, just making this tribute page for Ray Combs, it still brings a tear to my eye that he's no longer with us. And I ain't going to lie to you, I almost broke a tear while I was typing all of this out. When I did my Family Feud project back in late 2008, I dedicated it to both to the memories of Mark Goodson and Ray Combs, because for one, if it wasn't for Mark Goodson, I wouldn't be watching the Feud, and two, it was Ray Combs that was the present host at the time when I got into Family Feud. I also watched him on Family Challenge, and I don't care what show he was on, and I don't care what anybody has to say, my opinion about Ray will never change. I grew up watching him, and seeing him rise to fame with the Feud and the Challenge, but then hearing of his death...I am at an utter loss for words. Ray Combs, along with Richard Dawson, is the best host of Family Feud, hands down!


Rest in peace, Ray Combs!
We miss you!

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