John Barbour dead: Pioneering TV legend dies days after colleague as tributes flood in

Pioneering TV icon John Barbour, who is recognised as one of the founding father's of reality TV died from natural causes at the age of 93 on Sunday, May 10, at his home in Las Vegas. His family confirmed the news. The star created and appeared in the hit 1970s show Real People which marked the beginning of reality TV as we know it. It went on to inspire numerous shows such as That’s Incredible! and America’s Funniest Home Videos. The show featured a panel of hosts, including John and the likes of Sarah Purcell, Byron Allen, Skip Stephenson, Mark Russell, Peter Billingsley and Fred Willard, who, as the title suggests, introduced pre-taped segments about odd and unusual people and then commented on the films - a format still widely used today.

He also had a short tenure as host of The Gong Show presenting the first five episodes recorded, which were all deemed unairable. Depending on who you listen to he either walked away from the show in objection to its farcical premise or was fired but either way it forced producer Chuck Barris to step in front of the cameras as host. Film critic and actor Rex Reed, whose death was announced on Tuesday May 12, was a judge on the show.

Born in Toronto John's career began as a stand-up comic, which led to numerous high profile TV appearances on shows hosted by the likes of Steve Allen, Joey Bishop and Dean Martin. He also landed coveted gigs as the opening act for Robert Goulet and Bobby Darin in Las Vegas.

This led him to a recording career when he also released two comedy albums. His 1965 offering It’s Tough to Be White dealt with civil rights and race relations. Meanwhile 1978’s I Met a Man I Didn’t Like included with liner notes from acclaimed playwright Neil Simon.

However it was in television that he would really make his mark. In 1971, prior to creating Real People he hosted a local daytime talk show on CBS-owned KNXT (now KCBS-TV) in Los Angeles, and later a brief stint as co-host of AM Chicago on ABC-owned WLS-TV in 1978.

The multi talented star also dipped his toe into the acting world with roles in shows such as Get Smart, Ironside, The Odd Couple, Sanford and Son, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Breaking Bad.

Int he 198s he also turned his hand to documentaries producing and narrating 1982's Ernie Kovacs: Television’s Original Genius. In 1992 he won the prize for best documentary at the San Sebastian Film Festival for his acclaimed work The JFK Assassination: The Jim Garrison Tapes, which profiled the New Orleans district attorney and his murder investigation. He wrote and directed a sequel in 2017 - The American Media and the Second Assassination of John F. Kennedy.

In 2019 he published his autobiography, Your Mother’s Not a Virgin: The Bumpy Life and Times of the Canadian Dropout Who Changed the Face of American TV!

Tributes flooded in for the star as the news of his death became public. On Facebook one fan wrote: "Watched Real People every week with him, Sarah Purcell , Skip Stevenson, and a very young Byron Allen the soon to be "replacement" for Colbert. RIP." another added: "I'll never forget Real People on NBC. No one believed in the show and then it became a hit and inspired an ABC knockoff, That's Incredible!"

A third chimed in: "Another devastating loss this week, John Barbour. John created the show Real People, which used to air just before That's Incredible. I was fascinated with both shows and was glued to the television every week... John also played a very important role in supporting his friend, Jim Garrison, which cost him greatly, but he stood strong and I admire him for that..." Meanwhile a fourth shared: "I am so very saddened by the loss of John... he was a true friend at a time in my life when I really needed one. He was so unique and so kind. I will miss him dearly."