Richard Dawson, who was best known for hosting the game show “Family Feud,” died on Saturday, June 2, 2012, in Los Angeles, the New York Times reported. He was 79. On Facebook, Dawson’s son wrote that the cause was complications of esophageal cancer.
Dawson was the first host of ‘Family Feud’ and worked on the show from 1976 to 1985. Female contestants on “Family Feud” were often kissed by Dawson.
After the show was canceled in the mid-’80s, it was revived in 1988. For a year, Dawson returned to host duties in 1994. “Family Feud” is still going strong today and is currently hosted by Steve Harvey.
Dawson, whose birth name was Colin Lionel Emm, was born in England in 1932. As an actor, his career included roles on “Hogan’s Heroes,” “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.” He also starred as a dark game show host in the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger film, The Running Man.
