Chuck Barris, the energetic host of “The Gong Show,” has passed away at the age of 87. His family announced through a publicist that Barris died of natural causes at his home in Palisades, New York, on Tuesday.

Besides hosting the classic “Gong Show,” Barris also created the game shows “The Dating Game” and “The Newlywed Game” — each of which pushed the envelope when it came to relationship details and what was then considered raciness on television.

Judges could stop the acts they didn’t like by hitting a big gong.

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Younger audiences may know Barris better as the author of “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” a book in which he claimed to have worked for the CIA. The book was later turned into a film directed by George Clooney, with actor Sam Rockwell playing Barris.

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“The Gong Show” aired on NBC from 1976-1980. Though derided by critics, audiences mostly found it to be an off-the-wall, fun program, especially because of Barris’ hosting.

The show took amateurs and allowed them to show off their talents to celebrity judges. Judges could stop the acts they didn’t like by hitting a big gong.

And that gong could be heard quite often — many of the acts were downright horrible.

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“Everybody could relate to somebody wearing a lampshade and dancing around,” Barris said in an interview with the Archive of American Television in 2010. “Bad acts are inherent in everyone.”

Not surprisingly, a reboot of “The Gong Show” is currently in development. Announced in October of last year, it will air on ABC and be hosted by Will Arnett, the voice of Batman in “The Lego Batman Movie.”

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Here’s a look at some classic and wacky moments from Barris’ “Gong Show” days:

The Popsicle Twins. If Barris knew one thing, it was how to get a reaction.

Barris would purposefully put on acts that he knew television censors wouldn’t allow. The trick was to offend the censors with one act in order to distract them from a less risque one he was working on getting on the show.

The so-called Popsicle Twins — also known as “Have You Got a Nickel?” — were two 17-year-old girls who sucked on orange lollipops in shorts and T-shirts to the song, “I’m in the Mood for Love.” So strange was the act that viewers began complaining on the East Coast — and NBC pulled the segment before it could be shown to the rest of the country.

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Jaye P. Morgan Fired. It was a moment that most viewers couldn’t see — but most “Gong Show” fans knew full well that it happened.

Weeks after the twins debacle, NBC had a more watchful eye on “The Gong Show.” Panelist Jaye P. Morgan reportedly flashed the audience at one point — she was then fired and the daytime version of the series was canceled swiftly. The moment was edited from the telecast, but a camera reportedly did capture everything and the uncensored moment can now be found online.

Chuck Barris Gets Gonged. In a display of good humor, Barris allowed himself to endure his own gong treatment on the last episode of the show. Barris took the stage to appropriately sing, “Take This Job and Shove It.” He also managed to give the finger to the camera.

Barris later admitted the show’s ending was his own fault because he was bored with the hosting duties. “The end of the show came because of me,” he told TV Archive. “I had a small nervous breakdown out there, doing strange things. When I see films of the last shows, I was walking around, busting up [studio] flats on the air. That was the behavior of a host who was bored to death.”

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The Unknown Comic. Acts like this one played right into the absurdist appeal of “The Gong Show.” The Unknown Comic was a corny comedian who told old-fashioned wisecracks in an over-the-top fashion, all while wearing a bag on his head. It became a staple of the show, as the bag-wearing comedian was even the subject of a best-selling poster based on the series.

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Gene, Gene, The Dancing Machine. There may never be something that quite captures the mix of creative freedom and wacky randomness of the show as Gene, Gene, The Dancing Machine. Gene Patton, a stagehand, would get in front of the cameras and start boogying. He wasn’t all that good — and audiences were known to throw junk at him. It was another odd segment that strangely clicked with viewers.

Blogger Mark Evanier once recalled on his since-discontinued site, News From Me, how weirdly exciting the segment was if you were in the live audience. “I’ve been on many TV stages in my life. I’ve seen big stars, huge stars — Johnny, Frank, Sammy, Dino, Bob, you name ’em. I’ve seen great acts and great joy, and if you asked me to name the most thrilling moment I’ve witnessed in person, I might just opt for ‘The Gong Show’ electrifying Stage 3 for all of 120 seconds.”

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Barris is survived by his wife of 16 years, Mary. The family has asked through a public statement that in lieu of flowers, people donate to the New York Police Foundation.