Just clicked on CNN and heard a bulletin; don’t think there’s anything on the news sites yet.
Well, he had a good, long, happy life, and a nice retirement.
Oh, man. One of my favorite celebrities. He was always in such amazing health.
Here’s a link with a bit more.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050123.wcarson0123/BNStory/Entertainment
Not much in the way of details; he was a very private person (obssessively so), so I doubt there will be many details:
That really sucks.
I don’t know why, but for some reason I had always just assumed he was going to be another George Burns, with a perfect mind quipping till at least 100 or so. It never even occured to me that he might die this young.
That’s a damn shame.
Johnny Carson, former host of NBC’s Tonight Show has died today at the age of 79. The cause, time, and place of death were not mentioned, but from details in the story about his family being at his bed when he died, he must have been ill before his death.
Wow, I feel old.
Wow. Bummer.
Just heard the news. 
My neice asked me, “Who’s that?” :sigh:
Generations are passing. . .
I loved the passion that he had for amateur astronomy, the interview with John Dobson is a major highlight of The Tonight Show for me.
Also, I grew up (early to late teens, anyways) watching him interview the greats of cinema, TV, music, what have you and I feel like he actually had conversations with those people. Not just a series of set ups for one liners. That man had a gift.
I didn’t know him personally, tho, so I have nothing to add beyond his public persona. And I’ve been missing that for a while now already.
“That’s some wild and whacky stuff.”
How quickly an era can pass: Just five years ago, Steve Allen, Jack Paar, and Johnny Carson were all with us.
Now, they’re all gone.
Makes me feel old too.
His apparent desire to stay out of the public eye over the last few years seems to be continued after his death, noting the story saying that there will be no memorial service.
Here’s that rainy day
(J Burke, J Van Heusen)
I should have saved
Those leftover dreams
Funny
But here’s that rainy day
Here’s that rainy day
They told me about
And i laughed at the thought
That it might turn out this way
Where is that worn out wish
That i threw aside
After it brought my love so near
Funny how love becomes
A cold rainy day
Funny
That rainy day is here
It’s funny
How love becomes
A cold rainy day
Funny
That rainy day is here
Bye Johnny,
I can’t say I watched him much, but that which I saw was really something. He had such a connection with his audience, and it seemed a real love for what he was doing. He was a real talent and a blessing to what is often a wasteland of media. He will be greatly missed.
Carl Sagan mentioned being on the show and being amazed by him. He was used to the Dinah Shore/Regis Philbin type host who acted as if he were the greatest thing since peanut brittle while on-air but would then admit “I don’t understand science stuff… who do you think’s gonna get the Oscar?” or “So do you think there are really Martians?” and then act disappointed when he said no. When he was on Carson, he was amazed that Carson’s scientific and astronomical interest majorly went “UP” when they went to commercial and he would be asking him about specific oddities recently reported in the Crab nebula and other stuff that “Ma and Pa Middleamerica” never could have understood. It was totally his passion.
It really does feel like I’ve lost an uncle I rarely saw but was really fond of. And just think of all the memories that went with him. (Although, he actually said that one of the weirdest things about having as much of your life on tape as he did was that he would see long sketches or interviews that he had absolutely no recollection of doing.)
There will never be another. When he retired it was almost like the death of Alexander when the great empire shattered into fighting kingdoms and territories, and now there’ll be no return of the king (not that anybody really thought there would be after the first few years of his retirement).
Heeyyyyyyyyyooooooooooooooooooooo, milord.
A) The Greatest Talk Show Host Ever
/Open envelope
Q) Who was Johnny Carson?
//Carnac
RIP Johnny.
The National Enquirer ran a story a couple weeks ago about how Carson was suffering from emphysema, so I assume that was the principle cause of death. In the pictures accompanying the story, he actually looked like he was pregnant–apparently the lungs and chest swell up when you can’t breathe properly. The poor guy smoked himself to death, no doubt becoming addicted long before anybody knew how deadly it was.
I’m very saddened to hear this news. He brought so many laughs throughout my childhood. Some of his funniest moments were when the pre-written jokes didn’t work and he started ad-libbing. I watched every chance I could.
I admired the way he stepped down and thought it was very classy. Never was the need to keep proving himself or stay in the spotlight. I do regret that we never got to see him after that final show, or that he never wrote a book of his experiences(that I’m aware of), but I respected that those were his wishes.
Rest in Peace, Johnnie, and thank you for so many laughs and wonderful memories.
ahem…Johnny, not Johnnie.