Johnny Carson 1925-2005

[jeo4]

Johnny died of Emphysema this weekend. He was 79. The host of NBC's "The Tonight Show" from 1962 to 1992, Carson enjoyed huge ratings throughout his career and nearly 20 percent of NBC's profits were credited to the show in Carson's final years. I credit Mr. Carson for leading an entire generation of amazing talk shows and their hosts into the spotlight. Even so, there's only one Johnny Carson. May he rest in peace.

Link to Yahoo Story (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20050123/ap_on_en_tv/obit_carson)

MSNBC.com Story (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6504289/)

[B1rd_Po0p]

Oh no!!! That's so sad.... One fond memory from my childhood is watching the Tonight Show with my dad... Rest in peace, Johnny...

[BakeTheMooCow]

Terrible news. The man was a legend. RIP.

[Briare Rabbit]

What an awful day. With all this stuff about Auschwitz in the news, and now this? Awful, awful day.

RIP

[Tweek]

:( i think i'm going to cry.

He lived a long good life at least

RIP

[Sigur509]

One funny, funny man. He will be missed.

R.I.P

[Tagia_Romero]

:( I recall seeing an interview with him on an Australian variety show some time back and I have seen quite a few clips with him showing off his skills. I wasn't expecting this when I woke up this morning.

RIP to the fabulous entertainer.

[Saruman]

Shitty news. RIP

[therealjohng]

Man, that really sucks.

[bluesbrother965]

RIP

[bankholdup]

Another King is gone...RIP.

[SykkBoy]

I don't think anyone over the age of 25 didn't grow up on him or have some memories of him...

he was beyond legend...he was his own class of person...not only was he a great performer, he was an amazing interviewer...he helped launch a lot of careers.

[chilli pepper]

I'm too young to actually have seen his show, but still, sad sad news.

RIP JOHNNY

[The Mack]

RIP

[free]

Saddened and remorseful...saddened and remorseful.

(opens envelope)

How am I feeling after hearing this news?

He was one great comedian and person. RIP

[Fisting Ackbar]

RIP

[SkyNet]

i just came home from the movies, and my start up page is IWON.com... and i saw this... that really sucks... must watch The Tonight Show tomorrow night

RIP

[Lynn7]

When his show was on I was a kid and I remember there were only 3 channels on TV-no cable no vcrs etc.when the Carson show went off at 1 am in the morning the channels went to snow until the morning. He was a big celeb back then. My mom used to watch him every night and I would hear her laughing as she watched. He had a great life and though it is sad to hear that he died it is nice to know he went peacefully. Here is some quotes from people in the industry:



Notable quotes on the death of former "Tonight Show" host Johnny Carson:

"It's a sad day for his family and his country. All of us who came after are pretenders. We will not see the likes of him again. He gave me a shot on his show and in doing so, he gave me a career. A night doesn't go by that I don't ask myself, 'What would Johnny have done?' He has been greatly missed since his retirement. Thank God for videotapes and DVDs. In this regard, he will always be around. He was the best, a star and a gentleman."

- CBS "Late Show" host David Letterman.

"Maria and I are deeply saddened to learn of the death of this comedic genius. As an irreplaceable member of the entertainment community, Johnny Carson shared his spirit and laughter with his family, friends and countless fans. Johnny was a great friend and always showed me profound respect. He welcomed me on his show when no one knew who I was and helped promote the image of bodybuilding."

- Former actor and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"He was the most decent, marvelous man I've ever known, and we're going to miss him a lot ... I think that Johnny, no matter how long he lived in Hollywood and no matter how much money he made, he still had a piece of straw stuck in his ear."

- Actor-comedian Jerry Lewis.

"Being Johnny's friend was an honor. To hear of his sudden death, a great shock. He was so much more than just the 'King of Late Night,' he was a real intellect with broad interests; thankfully, many of which he was able to enjoy in the last decade. It is a terrible loss to his friends. I am deeply saddened."

- Actor-comedian Chevy Chase.

"He was the definition of class and dignity."

- Comedian Rosie O'Donnell.

"Johnny Carson was the public face of American comedy for decades, but anyone who knew him well knew he was an intensely private and yet deeply generous man. So many of us who are working in show business today owe our careers to him. I was his last guest, and it was one of the most moving experiences of my life. He had it all. A little bit of devil, a whole lot of angel, wit, charm, good looks, superb timing and great, great class."

- Singer-actress Bette Midler.

"He was the greatest talk show host of our time with the quickest mind ... One of the greatest thrills of my career was not on stage but when Johnny called me after seeing me host the Oscars and telling me how much he loved what I did. That's how much I looked up to him. He was a true idol."

- Comedian-actor Billy Crystal.

"I'm first of all stunned to hear it. I think he's been one of the greats of our time."

- Daytime talk-show host Oprah Winfrey.

"I guest-hosted for Johnny many years ago for a month straight and experienced firsthand just how great he was, making it look so easy night after night. Once you sit in that chair, you knew there was nothing easy about it. It's a huge loss."

- Actor-comedian Bob Newhart.

"I liked him very much, as a comedian and as a person. I have only the most positive things to say about him. I found him to be a terrific guy."

- Filmmaker-comedian Woody Allen, who served as an occasional vacation host for Carson on "Tonight."

"He was the best, and I think even the other talk show hosts would have to take a bow to Johnny Carson. ... He loved listening to comedians, loved helping comedians. He had more comedians on who broke into bigger things than anybody."

- Impressionist-comic Fred Travalena, a frequent "Tonight" show guest with Carson.

"Johnny Carson was a man I considered like a brother to me. Our 34 years of working together, plus the 12 years since then, created a friendship which was professional, family like and one of respect and great admiration."

- Ed McMahon, Carson's former "Tonight" sidekick.

"He always drove himself to work, never took a limo. He went down quickly to what we called the 'Carson bunker,' under Studio 1 where the show was done" at NBC in Burbank.

- Charles Barrett, former longtime "Tonight" publicist, on Carson's penchant for privacy.

"When you're working with wildlife, you have to be able to react very quickly. So the comedians that work with notes, or that have to think about how they respond find it difficult working with animals. But he was at his best when he was totally spontaneous ... He was one person that you knew when you walked out from behind that curtain, you could just toss those notes."

- Joan Embery, former goodwill ambassador for the Zoological Society of San Diego and frequent guest on "Tonight."

[edonline]

Not to draw attention away from Johnny Carson's passing but I think it's interesting that just last week there was a news item about Johnny writing jokes for David Letterman. I wonder if Carson somehow knew the end was near and the news was a way of giving some props to Letterman, who if everyone remembers was in a bitter fight with Jay Leno to host the Tonight Snow when Johnny retired.

RIP Johnny Carson, the master of late night

[free]

Originally posted by edonline
Not to draw attention away from Johnny Carson's passing but I think it's interesting that just last week there was a news item about Johnny writing jokes for David Letterman. I wonder if Carson somehow knew the end was near and the news was a way of giving some props to Letterman, who if everyone remembers was in a bitter fight with Jay Leno to host the Tonight Snow when Johnny retired.

I have read that Carson thought of Letterman as his true replacement, and with him writing a few jokes for Letterman, I tend to think this may be true.

On a related note, has anyone seen a quote from Leno? I know I haven't...

[TheGodSon]

RIP

:(

[Patrick Bateman]

Rest in Peace Johnny.

The man was a legend, and he'll be sorely missed. I remember when he was still the host of "The Tonight Show", and he was truely one of the greatest comedians ever.

One of the most interesting things my parents have told me about my childhood, is that when I was around 3-4 years old, and whenever "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" would come on, I would literally stop everything I was doing, crawl or stumble into the living room, and watch Johnny Carson's opening monologue. Afterwards, when the show cut to commercial, I would go back to whatever I was doing. But even at such a young age, I always made it a pojnt to watch the opening of "The Tonight Show.
Which my parents thought was kinda funny. Because even at such a young age, that I would pay strict attention to Johnny Carson for some reason. I guess in a weird way, I knew greatness when I saw it.

Sad, sad day. You'll be missed Johnny.
Forever the king of late night.
RIP

[TheJadedGamer]

Whoa...totally unexpected for me.

RIP Johnny, you will be missed.

[lccfilmstudent]

Rest in peace Mr. Carson :(

[Strider]

When I heard the news, I couldn't believe my ears. The news was a total shock. Very, very sad to hear. Johnny Carson was an incredibly talented and funny man, and he will be missed dearly.

God bless you, Johnny, and RIP.... :(

Strider

[Country1969]

I'm 35 Years old and I used to watch Johnny on the tv when I lived at home with my mom and dad. He made all of us laugh. He loved what he did over the years and he will be missed. I think David Letterman is very entertaining. He can make you laugh when you have a really bad day.

[BorderEevilIII]

I was a deep shock when I learned of his passing via the radio news... :(
Whats worse I was UNAWARE of Mr. Carson's Illness....
Thank you Johnny for the memories of your opening monologues that I always look foward when I watched the Tonight Show and tuned in on your very last show. R.I.P. Johnny :(

[Lindsey]

Very sad news. :(

The man was a legend and one hell of a funny guy.

R.I.P

[James Logan]

Shame. He's not all that well-known in France and in Europe, but my family's loved him ever since the 70s when my parents starting watching him.

May he rest in peace.

[blankpage]

Not only a very funny man, but a class act in general. I have many tapes of the show, and I still like to go back and watch them. An amazing human being.

R.I.P, good sir!

[ComeNightfall]

I think it's great that he went out while still on top and with the respect of just about the entire country. RIP.