[Stardust]

Small-screen legend Richard Dawson — longtime host of “Family Feud” and one of “Hogan’s Heroes” — died from complications due to esophageal cancer at Ronald Reagan Memorial hospital in Los Angeles, his son announced yesterday. He was 79.
The chipper Brit was known for his swagger and quick wit. These qualities helped launch his career and pushed him to a level of fame as a cultural icon that went above and beyond the roles he played.

Born Colin Lionel Emm, Dawson began his career as a comedian in Great Britain. Dawson found his first major success in 1965 as the Cockney Cpl. Peter Newkirk on “Hogan’s Heroes,” the ground-breaking Nazi-mocking sitcom set in a World War II POW camp. Dawson once joked that the show ran for six years, “a year longer than Hitler.”
In 1976, Dawson was tapped to host a new game show, “Family Feud.”
With his trademark kisses for the ladies, Dawson soon became one of the nation’s most popular TV personalities, leading the fever-pitch quiz show to a Daytime Emmy award in 1978.
A true sign of a pop culture icon, Dawson was parodied by Bill Murray on “Saturday Night Live” in the 1970s.
His lipwork earned him the moniker “The Kissing Bandit.” Executive producer Howard Felsher estimated that Dawson kissed about 20,000 women while on “Family Feud.”
“I kissed them for luck and love, that’s all,” Dawson said. One of those kisses eventually paid off for Dawson, when he met a contestant he would eventually marry, Gretchen Johnson.
Dawson continued to host “Feud” through 1985. At the end of that first stint on the show, Dawson told viewers, “I’ve had the most incredible luck in my career.”
Dawson also appeared on the big screen, most famously as an exaggerated version of himself in Stephen King’s “The Running Man,” in which Dawson was cast as the host of a futuristic game show in which felons tried to escape hunters in order to win freedom.
When “Family Feud” was revived, Dawson hosted the show for a season — only without his trademark kisses this time, at the request of his bride.
Steve Harvey, the current host of “Family Feud,” tweeted yesterday, “I have been blessed because of Richard Dawson’s work ... the birth of Family Feud. God Bless You Sir — You Were The Best.”
Dawson is survived by his widow, two sons, a daughter and four grandchildren.http://www.bostonherald.com/track/celebr...ent_bullet

[Stardust]

[Image: http://multimedia.heraldinteractive.com/...wson01.jpg]

[Mr. Pike Central]

He was pretty awesome, always enjoyed watching old re-runs of Family Feud & Match Game.

[WideRight05]

I loved watching Familiy Feud growing up. I didn't catch Richard Dawson's early years but watched it during the mid 1990's when he hosted. He was a good host and accomplished quite a lot. RIP.

[OffTheHook]

Hogan's Heros...................."I see nothing–NOTHING!"
Loved that show!

And the Feud was never the same after he left.

RIP....Rich!

[LWC]

Best Family Feud host.

[OffTheHook]

^Without a doubt!!!!!