TV Icon Chuck Barris Passes Away at 87

Chuck Barris, host of the game show “The Gong Show” and creator of “The Dating Game” and “The Newlywed Game,” died Tuesday, Mar. 21 in Palisades, New York at the age of 87 from natural causes, according to publicist Paul Shefrin.

“The Gong Show,” which ran from 1976-80 and was a forerunner for such recent popular programs as “American Idol” and “America’s Got Talent”, featured amateur talent acts who would perform in front a panel of judges and would get “gonged” by any of those judges if they were deemed as not good.

Barris was also a best-selling writer of six books — the most popular of which was “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” that later became a motion picture. In addition, he wrote the 1962 hit pop song “Palisades Park” for singer Freddy Cannon.

Barris is survived by his wife of 16 years, the former Mary Clagett.