Johnny Carson: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 19:19, 24 January 2005

Revision as of 19:35, 24 January 2005

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At the end of his final ''Tonight Show'' appearance, Carson indicated that he would return with a new project, but instead chose to go into full retirement, rarely giving interviews and declining to participate in NBC's 75th Anniversary celebrations. He made the occasional cameo appearance, providing his voice for an episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' and, a couple of years after leaving the ''Tonight Show'', Carson made a surprise appearance on Letterman's [[CBS]] program that stopped the show dead. Carson came out to read a joke, and Letterman let him sit down at his desk. The resulting ovation lasted so long that Carson never had a chance to tell the joke.

ShortlyJust days before Carson's death in January of 2005, it was revealed that the retired King of Late Night still kept up with current events and late-night TV, and that he occasionally sent jokes[http://www.newscoast.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050120/APE/501200517] to Letterman. Letterman would then use these jokes in the monologue of his show, which, according to CBS senior vice president Peter Lassally (a onetime producer for both men) at the time, "[Johnny] gets a big kick out of". Lassally also claimed that Carson had always believed Letterman, not Leno, to be his "rightful successor". [http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/21448.htm] Letterman frequently employs some of Carson's trademark bits on his show, including Carnac (with band leader [[Paul Shaffer]] as Carnac) and Stump the Band.

On [[January 23]], [[2005]], Carson died at his Malibu home of complications from [[emphysema]]. He was 79 years old.