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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Jim Lange, the first of the popular game show "The Dating Game," has died at his home in Mill Valley, Calif. He was 81.
He died Tuesday morning after suffering a heart attack, his wife Nancy told The Associated Press Wednesday.
Though he had a successful career in radio — which was his first love — Lange is best known for his role on "The Dating Game," which debuted in the mid-1960s and on which he appeared for more than a decade.
He played host to many celebrity guests including Michael Jackson, Steve Martin and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The show's format: a young man or woman questions three members of the opposite sex, hidden from her view, to determine which one would be the best date.
Lange is survived by a sister, five children, two stepchildren and four grandchildren.
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