One of the biggest pioneers in reality television has died.
John Barbour, the legendary TV personality and creator behind NBC’s hit series Real People, has passed away at the age of 93. According to his family, Barbour died of natural causes at his home in Las Vegas, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed.
For millions of Americans, Real People was must-watch television in the late 1970s and early 1980s — and many now credit the series with helping launch the reality TV craze decades before shows like Survivor, American Idol, and Keeping Up With the Kardashians took over television.
The NBC series ran from 1979 through 1985 and became famous for spotlighting ordinary Americans with bizarre talents, unusual hobbies, and over-the-top lifestyles. The show mixed comedy, human-interest stories, and offbeat personalities in a way audiences had never really seen before.
Barbour served as one of the show’s main hosts alongside several familiar TV faces over the years, including Sarah Purcell, Bryan Allen, Skip Stephenson, Mark Russell, Peter Billingsley, and comedy legend Fred Willard.
Even decades later, the series still has a loyal fan base. Real People currently holds a 7.1 rating on IMDb, with one 1982 episode scoring an impressive 9.1/10 from viewers.
Many entertainment fans are now calling the show the “grandfather of reality TV.”
According to Suggest, Real People inspired countless programs that followed, including That’s Incredible!, America’s Funniest Home Videos, and even MTV’s Ridiculousness.
But Barbour’s career stretched far beyond one television hit.
The longtime entertainer also worked on classic TV projects like My Mother the Car and Gomer Pyle: USMC. He released comedy albums in both 1965 and 1978 and remained active in Hollywood for decades.
Barbour was also famously the original host selected for The Gong Show in 1976 before creator Chuck Barris eventually stepped into the role himself.
Over the years, Barbour appeared in a long list of beloved television shows, including Get Smart, The Odd Couple, Sanford and Son, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and even Breaking Bad.
Later in life, he released his autobiography with the eyebrow-raising title Your Mother’s Not A Virgin: The Bumpy Life And Times Of The Canadian Dropout Who Changed The Face Of American TV.
Barbour is survived by his wife, Sarita, and their son, Christopher.
At this time, the family has not released funeral details, and those arrangements are expected to remain private.
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