Actor Gary Collins dead at 74

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BILOXI, Miss., Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Gary Collins, longtime actor, talk show host and beauty pageant emcee, died of natural causes in Biloxi, Miss., a deputy coroner said. He was 74.

Brian Switzer of the Harrison County coroner's office said Collins died Saturday, The New York Times reported.

Collins appeared in dozens of television shows during his four-decade career, including "The Wackiest Ship in the Army," "The Virginians," "Iron Horse," "Love American Style," "Charlie's Angels," "The Sixth Sense," "Born Free" and "JAG," the Times noted.

He was host of "Hour Magazine" during the 1980s, winning an Emmy, and of "The Home Show" from 1989 to 1994.

He was host of the Miss America Pageant from 1982 to 1990.

Collins served in the U.S. Army, where he performed on the Armed Forces Network.

He was married to Mary Ann Mobley, the 1959 Miss America, from 1967 until they separated last year.

Collins lived in Biloxi in recent years and had some legal troubles, including convictions for drunken driving and leaving the scene of a traffic accident, the Times said.

Besides his wife, he is survived by their daughter, Marcy Clancy Collins, and two children from his first marriage to Susan Peterson, Guy and Melissa Collins.