On June 2, 1996, the 40-year-old Ray Combs hung himself in his room at the Glendale Adventist Medical Center, where he’d already been placed under 72-hour psychiatric observation.
In the following years, Ray Combs struggled to revive his career, including gigs hosting a short-lived competition show and a failed talk show pilot.
He was survived at the time by his parents, his wife Debbie, and their six children.
By 1996, he faced painful health problems, debilitating debt, and had recently separated from his wife.