Television actor and presenter Gary Collins has passed away, leaving us in the early hours of this morning at a local medical centre in Biloxi, Missouri.

Collins was admitted to the Biloxi Regional Medical Centre less than 24 hours before he was pronounced dead just a few minutes before 1 a.m. this morning (October 14th), according to Gary Hargrove, deputy coroner at the Harrison County Coroner's Office.

Fans of Collins will know him best for his numerous starring roles on TV throughout the 1970s, including the series The Sixth Sense and went on to appear in other series including JAG, The Love Boat, Charlie's Angels and most recently on Dirty Sexy Money. As a host, he is perhaps best known for his appearances on The New Hollywood Squares game show and on the long-running Hour Magazine chat show. During the 1980's, Gary was also the host of the Miss America Pageant and even went on to co-host the show with his former wife in 1989.

His ex-wife Mary Ann Mobley, a former Miss America from Brandon, Mississippi, survives him, as does their one child, Mary Clancy Collins. He and Mobley separated in 2011, but remained married. He also has two other children form a previous marriage, Guy William Collins and Melissa 'Mimi' Collins.