Former presenter Jean-Pierre Descombes died on June 30 from Parkinson’s disease. The television personality, a fixture of the 8pm Games, was a regular at the Limoges carnival in the 2010s.
An old friend of France 3 has passed away. Host of the famous Games of 20 hours on the channel from 1976 to 1987, Jean-Pierre Descombes succumbed to Parkinson’s disease on June 30, 2024. He was 76 years old. In Limousin, the man was not unknown: he was, in fact, a regular at the Limoges carnival, which he regularly hosted during the 2010s.
Perched on a platform in front of the town hall, “he had the public participate in games while waiting for the procession to arrive, remembers Sarah Gentil, the deputy mayor (LR) in charge of organizing the carnival. IHe had the same synergy at the carnival as on the plateau of 20 hour games : he asked people questions and answers, offered ni yes, neither No. He was a lovely person and the public adored him.“
He was someone who was on channel 3 every night. He was part of the daily life of the French, he loved games. (…) You have to imagine that there were only three channels, they were personalities who brought out the crowds!
Sarah Gentildeputy mayor (LR) in charge of events
Jean-Pierre Descombes, in 2015, where he offered general knowledge games to the people of Limoges on his platform in front of the town hall.
•
© Franck Petit – France 3 Limousin
In 2012, the Limoges carnival edition honoring municipal festive societies, he was accompanied by Danielle Gilbert, another great figure of French television. In 2015, for his last participation, he hosted his games in pouring rain.
Originally from Drôme, Jean-Pierre Descombes distinguished himself by presenting The 20 Games hours on France 3 – which was then called FR3 – at a time when only three channels existed in France (TF1 and Antenne 2).
The show traveled to many cities, where Jean-Marc Descombes would cut through the crowd with his microphone to ask general knowledge questions to local candidates, but also to celebrities on set.
The television man had reconverted, in the 2000s, in the animation of fairs and exhibitions, or nostalgic events like Âge tendre and tête de bois. Jean-Pierre Descombes was also the voice-over of the shows The right price et A gold family. “His death, I think, will cause a lot of pain to those over 50. ans,“regrets Sarah Gentil.
