Gene Rayburn Death
Gene passed away on November 29, 1999 at the age of 81 in Gloucester, Massachusetts, USA. Gene's cause of death was congestive heart failure.
When did Gene Rayburn die?
November 29, 1999How did Gene Rayburn die? What was the cause of death?
Congestive heart failureHow old was Gene Rayburn when died?
81Where did Gene Rayburn die? What was the location of death?
Gloucester, Massachusetts, USA
Gene Rayburn Birthday and Date of Death
Gene Rayburn was born on December 22, 1917 and died on November 29, 1999. Gene was 81 years old at the time of death.
Birthday: December 22, 1917
Date of Death: November 29, 1999
Age at Death: 81
Gene Rayburn - Biography
Gene Rayburn (December 22, 1917–November 29, 1999) was an American radio and television personality. He is best known as the host of various editions of the popular American television game show Match Game for over two decades.
From 1962 to 1969, Rayburn hosted Match Game. In the original version, which aired from New York on NBC, Rayburn read questions to two panels, each consisting of a celebrity and two audience members. The questions in the original game were ordinary, like "Name a kind of muffin," or "John loves his ____________." Rayburn usually played it straight, though he would make jokes as the situation warranted. Because it was a live show, very few episodes were recorded; only four are known to exist. The show was canceled in 1969 to make room for the topical, short-lived game show Letters to Laugh-In.
Rayburn was married to Helen Ticknor from 1940 until her death in October 1996. They had one child, a daughter, Lynne. One of his last TV appearances was a 1998 interview with Access Hollywood intended to coincide with the 25th anniversary of Match Game. Portions of the interview have been rebroadcast on Game Show Network, which in 2001 showed portions of another previously unaired interview during the first airing of its Match Game Blankathon.
Though in poor health, Rayburn appeared in person to accept a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. A month later, on November 29, 1999, he died of congestive heart failure at his daughter's home in Gloucester, Massachusetts at age 81. He was cremated and his ashes spread in the garden of his daughter's home.
Rayburn's final TV appearance was an interview for the A&E Biography episode profiling the life of his longtime boss, Mark Goodson; though taped in late 1999, the episode itself did not air until June 4, 2000, several months after Rayburn had died.
