Yes, I remember that sad story very well. He seemed like kind of a misfit Mormon to me. Apparently he was deeply in debt at the time of his suicide, but I've always wondered about the role Mormonism played in his tragic death. Johnny Carson (who helped Combs start his career) gave his widow $25,000 to help out after Combs' death--classy move.
Also, this event occurred around the same time that I discovered my former seminary teacher (maybe another misfit Mormon) had killed himself. So the two tragedies are now inextricably linked in my mind.
He was very full of himself and clearly enjoyed the fawning attention of the TBM's gathered together to hear him at this Sunday evening fireside.
He claimed to have been given a special calling by an area authority because of his game show host exposure.
He dogged on his poor wife (who was sitting right up there on the stand for all to see) by repeatedly saying that she (along with others of his family and friends) didn't have faith in his desire to go into comedy and show business. To her credit she kept her composure and just sat there and smiled.
It was all about him. He was obviously his favorite subject. No one I spoke with afterwards had a good impression of him.
When I heard he had killed himself I wasn't surprised.
I only remember going to a Family Feud taping in high school as a band fundraiser a couple of years before he quit hosting the show. I didn't know he was Mormon, and I probably wouldn't have cared either way.
It was very tragic and we'll never know what role Mormonism played in his suicide.
I realize that he was a comedian and would do anything for a laugh, but some of his antics made me wonder. (I watched him regularly as the host of Family Feud 88-91 and again the reruns on Game Show channels and now on Amazon Prime.)
Was he a secret cross dresser?
There are several tapings (not just once for a quick gag) where he convinces female contestants to permit them to swap shoes and he continues to host the balance of the show walking around in their high heels. Again, he did this women shoe bit over and over. He seemed to enjoy it.
It just made me wonder if he had a secret fetish of wearing women's clothing that sent "Debbie" his LDS wife over the edge.
Porn is bad enough in the church, but how would a sister confess that the PH of the house steals her dresses and shoes?