33. He Was Insensitive
In 1977, Lynde received an invite to be the Grand Marshall at his alma mater Northwestern University. The parade went off without a hitch, but Lynde got into trouble afterward. While eating at a Burger King, he spotted a professor from the university who happened to be Black. We don’t know exactly what Lynde said to the professor, but according to rumor, he suggested the professor get a job behind the counter. Needless to say, the joke didn’t land.
When confronted with his statement, Lynde blamed the incident on exhaustion and over-drinking.
34. He Lost A Loved One
You can’t blame everything bad that happened to Lynde on his drinking. In 1977, Lynde lost his closest companion—his dog Harry MacAfee who Lynde had named after his character on Bye Bye Birdie. Harry MacAfee, however, wasn't an ordinary pet. The grieving actor reportedly had trouble simply leaving his home without his canine friend.
When the dog passed, Lynde did something outrageous, expensive, and ultimately very sad.
35. There Were Too Many Memories
Remember, Lynde had bought Errol Flynn’s mansion and he loved it dearly. Well, now it was just full of too many memories of his favorite pooch. This sadness led Lynde to pack up his bags and look for a new place to live—one that didn’t remind him of his beloved pet. Over-drinking and the loss of a loved one? Things were not looking good for our favorite wise-cracking gay uncle.
The Paul Lynde Show (1972–1973), ABC
36. He Lost His Clothes
Allegedly, Lynde took a flight that went horribly wrong. It turned out that he'd been drinking heavily so heavily that by the time the plane landed, he had to have airline staff help him disembark. If this wasn’t bad enough, when he got off the airplane, Lynde had somehow lost all his clothes. He entered the airport wearing nothing but a blanket. But that wasn't all.
Lynde seemed to stir up trouble no matter where he went.
The Paul Lynde Show (1972–1973), ABC
37. He’d Been Drinking
In 1978, while working with the squeaky clean Donny and Marie Osmond in Salt Lake City, Lynde found himself in a mess all over again—this time with the law. Lynde had been drinking in a tavern, but after he left, he made a disturbing discovery. Someone had broken into his car. Miraculously, there was an officer nearby, and Lynde asked for his help.
The problem was that the officer was already working on another car burglary and had no time for Lynde. Completely intoxicated, the actor made a huge mistake.
38. He Messed With An Officer
At this point, Lynde became belligerent with the officer. He had decided that he wouldn’t let the officer go until he received the help he wanted. Lynde got so aggressive that the officer had to do something drastic. He had no choice but to take Lynde down to the station. The officer didn’t go as far as to book Lynde, but he could have. The charge would have been interfering with an officer—which, incidentally, sounds a bit like one of Lynde’s setups on Hollywood Squares.
The Hollywood Squares (Daytime) (1965–1980), NBC
39. He Didn’t Fit In
As it turned out, Donny and Marie Osmond found out about Lynde’s incident outside the bar in Salt Lake City. They also found out something more surprising: Lynde had been drinking at a well-known gay establishment. The folks running Donny and Marie didn’t take more than a second to realize that Lynde and the ultra-religious Osmonds were not a good match.
Lynde had to say goodbye to his recurring guest appearance—and the money that came with it.
40. He Had A Legendary Fan
Of course, Lynde continued to earn money from Hollywood Squares. He still had a huge fan base and received many letters from admirers. One such letter arrived at the studio and went on and on about how wonderful Lynde was. Lynde must have lost it when he got to the end and saw the signature—the letter writer was none other than film legend Greta Garbo.
Paul Lynde had no shortage of fans, and yet, he still couldn't escape the shadow of his own unhappiness.
41. It Was Quitting Time
In 1979, Lynde decided it was time to end his reign as the king of the center square. It wasn’t that he was through with the job, but it was over a disagreement about his salary. Lynde wanted more money, while the studio wanted to pay him less. The scandal-hungry media, however, couldn’t let the issue be about something as boring as money. They had to get creative.
The Hollywood Squares (Daytime) (1965–1980), NBC
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42. He Called Foul
When members of the press heard that Lynde was finally leaving Hollywood Squares, they turned it into a scandal. They said that the show had fired Lynde for an unsavory reason: They claimed he’d shown up to set inebriated and spent most of the day acting belligerently. This outraged Lynde and he turned around and sued them for $10 million.
The lawsuit went south and, sadly, so did Lynde’s reputation.
The Hollywood Squares (Daytime) (1965–1980), NBC
43. He Couldn’t Work
After Hollywood Squares, Lynde found it difficult to get roles. One theory is that it was because he was gay. But there were other theories out there. After all, he struggled with substance abuse, and he had a reputation for being difficult to work with. To say Lynde suffered from a complicated character is an understatement. But weren’t these complications part of what made him so endearing?
Lynde was between a rock and a hard place. It was time for an epiphany.
The Hollywood Squares (Daytime) (1965–1980), NBC
44. He Saw The Light
Lynde never publicly revealed what happened—but there was some event, or tragedy, around the late 1970s that made Lynde change his ways. This mysterious event made Lynde take stock of his life and reevaluate his lifestyle. The actor quickly gave up some of his more harmful activities like drinking. But was it too late? Was his reputation already written in stone?
45. He Couldn’t Refuse
Lynde was clearly on a better path in life, but roles were not coming his way. Hollywood Squares was also not doing so well. The game show, now without Lynde, tanked in a big way. The studio was desperate to get Lynde back into the center square, but Lynde was tired of living in a box. The station had to think of a way to get Lynde back where they wanted him.
Well—studios being studios—the best they could come up with was more money. Surprisingly, their unoriginal plan worked. In 1980, Lynde accepted their offer and climbed up to the center square once more.
The Hollywood Squares (Daytime) (1965–1980), NBC
46. He Didn’t Show Up
Hollywood Squares had a short resurgence in popularity and then the station canceled it for good. But tragedy quickly followed. Only a year later, Lynde scared his friends by not showing up to a birthday party. When his friend Paul Barresi went to his home to investigate, he had to break down the door to see if Lynde was okay. Lynde was far from okay.
His lifeless body lay on his bed. It was January 11, 1982, and Lynde was just 55 years old.
47. There Was Something In His System
Paul Lynde’s passing was certainly newsworthy, and soon, the speculative whispers began. Newspapers quickly reported that authorities found traces of a heart drug, called butyl nitrate, in Lynde’s system. The use of this drug seemed totally consistent with Lynde’s health problems. But that wasn't the end of it. The media also included a sordid tidbit of information.
48. His Passing Was Mysterious
The drug found in Lynde's system had a more nefarious use. It was a stimulant for people who wanted to heighten their bedroom activities. A more common name for it is “poppers," and it’s an inhalant often associated with the gay community. Since Lynde had a heart condition from his extreme lifestyle, it would not be a surprise that using poppers could have a very negative effect on his heart.
This begged the question: Was Lynde using the inhalant alone or with someone else?
49. Was He Alone?
A scandalous rumor circulated after Paul Lynde’s passing. Some said he had a visitor to his home who could have caused his demise. The man who found Lynde’s body, friend Paul Barresi, said that when he broke into Lynde’s house, the alarm went off. He said that Lynde only set the alarm when he was home alone and ready for bed. That’s it. Case closed.
But wait a minute, who is this Paul Barresi anyway? Doesn’t that name sound familiar?
50. He’s A Fixer
If the name Paul Barresi sounds familiar it's because he is now known as a Hollywood fixer. This former adult film star had a recent gig when actor Amber Heard hired him to dig up some dirt on Johnny Depp. I’m not saying he lied about Lynde’s final night, but let’s get real: The guy is now paid to make celebrity problems disappear into thin air.
Incidentally, Barresi is also linked to John Travolta—another star the press has been pestering to come out of the closet.
51. They Changed It
In 1996, celebrity writer Boze Hadleigh wrote a book called Hollywood Gays. In it, he finally put to rest any speculation about Lynde’s orientation: Lynde was finally out. It’s not clear if it’s related, but a few years later, Lynde’s birth town of Mount Vernon, Ohio made a change to their welcome sign. The old sign proudly stated their one claim to fame: Paul Lynde. The new sign now recognizes itself as the home of the writer of the song Dixie.
Maybe Mount Vernon no longer wanted to have an association with Paul Lynde, but no matter, he’d already gotten his validation elsewhere.
Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19
