Richard Dawson Dead: Family Feud Host Died At Age 79

RIP Richard Dawson. ABC News has confirmed that the former host of “Family Feud” has died Saturday due to complications from cancer.

“It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that my father passed away this evening from complications due to esophageal cancer. He was surrounded by his family. He was an amazing talent, a loving husband, a great dad, and a doting grandfather. He will be missed but always remembered…” wrote Dawson’s son Gary in a posting on Facebook early this morning.

After Hogan’s Heroes was canceled, Dawson became a regular on “Laugh-In,” and the “New Dick Van Dyke Show.” He was also a panelist on the game show “I’ve Got a Secret,” and subsequently on Gene Rayburn’s “Match Game ’73,” alongside Brett Somers and Charles Nelson Reilly. But Dawson really hit game show gold when he was tapped to host “Family Feud,” which he hosted from 1976 to 1985. After the show went into syndication, he returned to host the final 1995 season.