People usually remember Ray Combs for the manic energy he brought to Family Feud. He was the guy with the quick wit and the relentless smile, the hometown hero from Hamilton, Ohio, who actually made it. But behind that 1980s game show glitz was a personal life that was, honestly, falling apart in ways the public didn't see until it was too late. At the center of that storm was Ray Combs wife Debbie, his childhood sweetheart who ended up navigating a nightmare that felt like it was scripted for a prestige drama, except the consequences were devastatingly real.
The High School Sweethearts Who Built a Dynasty
Ray and Debbie weren't some Hollywood power couple. They were the real deal from the Midwest. They met way back in the first grade at Van Buren Elementary. Think about that. Most people can't even remember their first-grade teacher's name, but these two were already starting a narrative that would span decades. They married in 1977, long before the cameras and the "Survey Says!" catchphrases.
By the time Ray’s career hit the stratosphere in the late '80s, they had a massive family. Six kids. It’s hard to imagine the logistics of raising six children while your husband is becoming one of the most recognizable faces on television. For a long time, it looked like they’d beaten the odds. They had the five-bedroom house in Glendale, the success, and the roots that supposedly kept them grounded.
When the Laughter Stopped: The 1994 Turning Point
If you want to understand what happened to Ray Combs wife Debbie and why their marriage eventually fractured, you have to look at 1994. Ray was replaced on Family Feud by the original host, Richard Dawson. It was a brutal blow to his ego. Around the same time, he was involved in a horrific car accident that left him with a spinal injury and chronic, debilitating pain.
Imagine watching the man you’ve known since you were six years old slowly transform. Debbie later told interviewers that the medications he took for the pain, combined with the professional rejection, changed him. He wasn't the "Ray" everyone expected him to be anymore. He was struggling to maintain the "show business" persona while his internal world was crumbling.
📖 Related: Lacey Chabert Is Hot: Why the Hallmark Queen Is More Relevant Than Ever in 2026
The financial side was just as messy. Ray was a big spender. He’d tell Debbie, "You don't have to worry about that," when money questions came up. But she did worry. She could see the trouble coming even when he was still earning nearly a million dollars a year.
The Tragic Birthday and the Aftermath
By 1995, the strain was too much. They separated. There were attempts to reconcile—they even lived together briefly again—but by early 1996, the divorce was back on. On June 2, 1996, Ray took his own life while under suicide watch at a hospital.
The most haunting detail? It was Debbie’s 40th birthday.
While the world was mourning a TV host, Ray Combs wife Debbie was waking up to a reality that was bordering on catastrophic. She didn't just lose her husband; she discovered the full extent of the financial ruin he’d kept hidden. We're talking $500,000 in debt. Foreclosures on multiple properties.
She went from a five-bedroom home in a nice suburb to a two-bedroom rental. She was literally getting meals from a food pantry to feed those six children. It’s a jarring image: the widow of a superstar standing in line for food. "I don't have anything," she told a reporter from the Cincinnati Enquirer just a month after his death.
Where is Debbie Combs Now?
There is often a lot of confusion online because there are several women named Debbie Combs. One was a famous professional wrestler, and another was a beloved teacher in Ohio who passed away recently in 2025. However, Ray's widow, the woman who stood by him through the Family Feud years and the subsequent collapse, has largely stayed out of the spotlight in the decades since.
After the initial interviews she gave in 1996—which were clearly a plea for answers and perhaps a bit of help—she focused on the Herculean task of raising her six children as a single mother under the weight of immense debt.
Why Their Story Still Hits Hard
The story of Ray and Debbie isn't just a celebrity tragedy. It’s a cautionary tale about the "show business" mask.
- Communication Gaps: Ray's desire to "protect" Debbie from financial reality actually left her more vulnerable.
- Mental Health: The pressure to be "on" and funny for the public while suffering in private is a recurring theme in comedy that Ray lived out to the extreme.
- Resilience: Debbie’s ability to pivot from a life of luxury to a food pantry to ensure her kids survived is arguably more impressive than any TV hosting gig.
Takeaways from the Combs Legacy
If you're looking for lessons in this story, they're pretty blunt. First, transparency in a marriage—especially regarding finances—isn't optional; it's a safety net. Ray’s silence on their debts was a "kindness" that became a curse for his family. Second, the impact of physical pain on mental health cannot be overstated. Ray’s 1994 accident was the beginning of the end for his stability.
For those researching the life of Ray Combs wife Debbie, it’s vital to distinguish between the various public figures with that name. The "real" Debbie Combs of this story is a woman who endured the highest highs and lowest lows of the American Dream, proving that even when the cameras stop rolling and the money vanishes, the responsibility of family remains.
To learn more about the complexities of celebrity estates or the history of classic game shows, you might want to look into the archival interviews from the Cincinnati Enquirer or WVXU, which provide the most direct accounts of Debbie’s journey after 1996.