Ray Combs - Good Answer!

 

Raymond Neil Combs, Jr. was born in Hamilton, Ohio on April 3, 1956.  He had a gift for comedy, which would ultimately take him to Hollywood.  There he became a household name, but a series of unfortunate setbacks would bring it all crashing down on him.  Ultimately, Combs would take his own life.

He began his career in stand-up in the late 1970s, appearing in comedy clubs throughout the Cincinnati area.  At the Red Dog Saloon, he became famous for audience singalongs of sit-com theme songs. But he'd soon be movin' on up to better things.

In 1982, after receiving some encouragement from David Letterman, Combs gave up his day job as a furniture salesman and moved his family to L.A.  Once there, success came quickly.

Combs doing his stand-up routine on
An Evening at The Improv.

After beating out more than 200 others in a comedy competition, Combs was picked as a warm-up comedian at tapings of The Golden Girls and Amen.  He proved so popular in this role that soon other sit-coms, including The Facts of Life, began altering their production schedules just so Combs would be available!  Reportedly, the laughter at these tapings was so overwhelming that Johnny Carson personally invited Combs to appear on The Tonight Show. You can watch one such appearance here.

His big break came in 1988, when he was hired by Mark Goodson to host a revival of Family Feud on CBS.  Watch his very first episode right here. Two months later, Goodson launched a syndicated version of the series, which Combs hosted as well.  For the next five years, he'd be the busiest host in the game show business.

By 1993, ratings on the daytime version had dropped dramatically, leading CBS to cancel the series.  The syndicated version wasn't faring much better, and producer Johnathan Goodson, who had taken the reigns from his deceased father, decided to replace Combs with original Feud host Richard Dawson.  Bad answer!  The Dawson revival would only last one season, with most markets placing it in late, overnight time slots.  Combs was extremely bitter over his dismissal, but more on that later.

In 1994, things went from bad to worse.  Two comedy clubs owned by Combs went into foreclosure, bringing great financial stress to the unemployed comedian.  That same year, he injured his back in a serious car accident.  It would cause him severe, constant pain for the rest of his life.

Then in 1995, Combs separated from his wife of 18 years.  Ultimately the couple would reconcile, but they would never return to married life.

By 1996, Combs was growing more and more despondent.  He was deeply in debt, owing more than $100,000 in back taxes on top of a $470,000 mortgage.  The constant back pain and a failed marriage contributed greatly to the decline in his mental state.

It all came to a head on June 1, 1996.  Police were sent to the Family home at 1318 Sonora Avenue in Glendale after receiving a report of a disturbance.  His estranged wife Debbie informed the officers that Combs had destroyed much of the interior and was now suicidal.  He was taken to nearby Glendale Adventist Medical Center and placed on a 72-hour watch.  He'd only need twelve.  Early in the morning of June 2nd, nurses found him hanging from bedsheets in his closet.  He was dead at the age of 40.

After a memorial service in Glendale, Combs was returned to his hometown in Ohio, where he was laid to rest at Greenwood Cemetery.  He was survived by his parents, his wife and his six children.

Section #14, Lot #348, Space #4
Inscription #1: Beloved Son, Brother, Father
Inscription #2: Always Loved, Never Forgotten

I visited the grave in 2014 on a particularly rainy day.  After nearly twenty years, the elements had already started to take their toll on the marker.  While the point of this blog is to share photos I have personally taken, here's one from the internet showing how the grave originally appeared.

Rest in peace, Ray.

Trivia

• As mentioned above, Combs was very bitter at being let go by Family Feud.  At the conclusion of his final episode, he opted not to stay and chat with the two families.  Watch him make a mad dash for freedom in this clip, his final on the show.  Bonus: the winning family bombs at fast money, giving Combs utter delight.
  
  
• After he was let go from the Feud, Combs hosted a similarly titled game show in 1995 called Family Challenge, which aired for one season in syndication.  Check out an episode in its entirety here.
  
  
• Once Combs assumed hosting duties for the Feud, CBS had him make the rounds on their other daytime game shows in an effort to get the word out.  Here he is surprising Bob Barker during a taping of The Price is Right.  Bonus: Dian Parkinson!
  
  
• Remember the NBC sit-com 227?  They did an episode wherein the characters duked it out on the Feud.  Watch Combs appear as himself in this clip.  Similarly, here he is on In Living Color.
  
  
• Sixteen years to the day after Combs died, original Feud host Richard Dawson also passed, on June 2, 2012.
  
  
• Five months after Combs died, Feud announcer Gene Wood appeared on a Game Show Network Thanksgiving Day special, wherein he paid tribute to his former colleague.  Watch that tribute here.