RIP Johnny

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Can't believe this hasn't made the rounds in here yet...

(CNN) -- Johnny Carson, host of NBC's "The Tonight Show" for nearly 30 years, died Sunday of emphysema.

"He passed away this morning," Carson's nephew, Jeffrey Sotzing, told CNN.

Carson, a longtime smoker, was 79 and had announced in 2002 that he was suffering from the disease.

Carsonwas host of the late-night talk show from October 1, 1962, to May 22,1992, taking over from Jack Paar and handing off to Jay Leno after4,531 episodes.

"It is a sad day for his family and for thecountry," "Late Show" host David Letterman said in a statement Sunday."He was the best -- a star and a gentleman."

Carson kept a low profile after leaving "The Tonight Show" in 1992.

"Hehas been greatly missed since his retirement" Letterman said. "ThankGod for videotapes and DVDs. In this regard, he will always be around."

BornJohn William Carson on October 23, 1925, in Corning, Iowa, he issurvived by his fourth wife, Alexis, and sons Christopher and Cory fromhis first marriage, to Joan "Jody" Wolcott. Another son, Richard, diedin a car accident in 1991.

Despite decades on television, Carson was never open publicly with the details of his personal life.

"Nobodygot to know him," said comedian Joan Rivers, who often substituted forCarson as a "Tonight Show" guest host. "He was very private."

Teenage magician

Carson began his show business career as a teenage magician and ventriloquist before serving in the Navy during World War II.

After the Navy, he attended the University of Nebraska, graduating in 1949 with a bachelor of arts degree.

Whilestill in college, Carson took a job as an announcer with KFAB inLincoln, Nebraska, and two years later moved to Los Angeles,California, where he took an announcer's job at KNXT-TV.

A yearlater, the boyish-looking budding comedian had his own show --"Carson's Cellar" -- 15 minutes of poking fun at the news, on whichCarson persuaded stars of the 1940s and 1950s to appear for free.

Inthe midst of the show's run, famed clown Red Skelton hired Carson as awriter -- and even put him on as host on live television when Skeltonwas injured during a rehearsal.

"The Johnny Carson Show" spent 39weeks on CBS in 1955 and 1956, then he moved to New York, where he washost of ABC's quiz show "Who Do You Trust?" and met Ed McMahon, whobecame Carson's sidekick until Carson retired from "The Tonight Show"35 years later.

Under Carson, "The Tonight Show" earned 42 Emmynominations and won seven trophies. Carson picked up a Golden Globenomination in 1975, three years after moving the show from New York toHollywood.

Carson was inducted into the Television Hall of Famein 1987. An estimated 50 million people watched his final broadcast in1992.

"And so it has come to this. I am one of the lucky peoplein the world. I found something that I always wanted to do and I haveenjoyed every single minute of it," Carson said to close his finalshow. "I bid you a very heartfelt goodnight."

President GeorgeH.W. Bush awarded Carson the Medal of Freedom on December 11, 1992, andthe following year he was awarded the Kennedy Center Honors LifetimeAchievement Award.

Carson's departure led to a bitter battle toreplace him, between Letterman, whose "Late Night with David Letterman"followed "The Tonight Show" on NBC's schedule, and frequent guest hostJay Leno. Leno won and remains the host; Letterman jumped to CBS, wherehe is host of "The Late Show."

Who's Who of top comedians

Carson is credited with boosting the careers of numerous young comedians.

"TheCarson show changed your life," Rivers said. "If Carson liked you, youwere set. He got the bright comics. He picked the ones who weredifferent, who were smart."

The list of other Carson alumni readslike a Who's Who of top comics -- Bill Cosby, David Brenner, JerrySeinfeld, George Carlin and Garry Shandling.

"He gave me a shoton his show and in doing so gave me a career," Letterman said. "A nightdoesn't go by that I don't ask myself, 'What would Johnny have done?'"

"All of us who came after are pretenders," Letterman said. "We will not see the likes of him again."

Rivers said she, too, owes her start -- and her later introduction to the man who became her husband -- to Carson.

"We all started on his show," Rivers said. "Every solid comedian today really got their break on the Carson show."

Carson had a special knack for putting people at ease, comedian Jackie Mason said.

"Thenervousness never lasted more than a second because he was so congenialand comfortable," Mason said. "He made more stars on his show,probably, than anybody in the whole history of show business."

Aguest's ability to make the host laugh was the sign of a successfulappearance, said Dr. Joyce Brothers, who appeared on Carson's showabout 90 times.

"If you made Johnny Carson laugh, the sun shone.It was such a triumph for you, and he was always, always kind,"Brothers said. "[He] never said a cutting remark in all of the yearsthat I watched the show, and I watched it for years and years, becauseit was fun to go to bed feeling happy and pleased."

"He was kindness personified," Brothers said.

Rivers called Carson "the best straight man in the business."

"Nobody in the world was like him," she said. "He was absolutely the best I've ever worked with."

ButRivers said Carson never spoke to her again after she left to start herown late-night show -- one of many challenges he fended off during histime on "The Tonight Show."

And Carson worked hard to maintain his privacy, Brothers said.

"He had his own entrance onto the stage," she said. "He had his own makeup room.

"Younever spoke to him at all before the show. He didn't want the guests tosay something funny, and then feel that they were too embarrassed tosay it on air."

Peter Lassally, Carson's executive producer for23 years, took credit for Carson's continuing to write jokes forLetterman until recently.

"It gave him great pleasure," Lassallytold CNN. "He'd pick up the paper in the morning and could think of adozen jokes and had no outlet for them, so I urged him to share themwith America."
 
It really caught me off guard when I heard about it yesterday - I had no idea his health was deteriorating. :(

End of an era, no doubt. :heart:

Thanks for posting this, John!
 
First of all, I'm feeling old when I see how many people I've talked to don't even know who he is! :shock:

Secondly, it was odd that they had just been talking about him quite a bit recently, reporting that he had been submitting a lot of joke material to David Letterman.

He was absolutely one of the greats of television and I still don't believe anyone has stepped into a late night roll that is even close to filling his shoes.
 
i agree...i remember him, but i was young...rest in peace.



md
 
Old enough to have seen him while still on-air and appreciate what he did for late night and many stars career's, young enough to not know specifically what this means to many of our parents, human enough to still care either way.

RIP Johnny :salute: :cry:
 
Chase said:
First of all, I'm feeling old when I see how many people I've talked to don't even know who he is! :shock:

I got one of those age lists that makes rounds on the internet, kind of like the 80's one that voodoocat posted, but it was geared toward middle school teachers. One of the things listed on there was that Jay Leno is the only host of the Tonight Show that these kids have ever known.

They showed a little bit on Channel One (12 minute newscast which subscribing junior highs and high schools receive on a daily basis) and I imagine the kids were probably thinking "Who's that?"
 

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