Johnny Carson has died.

[in_cog_ni_to]

:cry: My all time favorite comedian. CNN just announced it. No other info available yet.

May he rest in peace.

Damn. I love that guy. :(

[alfredo]

1. Good guy

He will be missed.

Emphysema

[Fenris]

2. Emphysema?

I believe he had that. Very reclusive after leaving the Tonight Show.

[in_cog_ni_to]

7. We don't know why he died.

The family has only confirmed that he has indeed passed on. He did have emphysema, but I don't know if that is what caused his death. :shrug:

[Catchawave]

22. CNN just confirmed Emphysema at 79......

..though I think he quit smoking years ago?

[in_cog_ni_to]

24. Thanks. I caught that too.

I'm so sad. :(

[Ms. Toad]

26. Some effects of smoking never go away

Emphysema is one of them - which tormented my grandmother for decades before her death (and who never smoked, but was exposed to second hand smoke from by grandfather early in their marriage). Another is bladder cancer - which hit my father-in-law more than a decade after he stopped smoking.

[LiberalFighter]

25. He was sort of reclusive even before he retired

At least he wasn't reclusive to the point of not coming out of his home. Saw a clip of him walking downtown or something with his wife just last year.

[flamingyouth]

28. Yes, he was always a very private person

I remember reading when I was a kid that he said he just enjoyed walking down the beach by himself in the mornings. Can't say I really blame him for that; I'm a big fan of peace & quiet myself. :)

[LiberalFighter]

37. He enjoyed being with other people too... just was selective

I rather be selective about my friends too... he had his weekly card games.

I wouldn't consider everyone that I know to be friends of mine... if I did I would have a difficult time of keeping track of that many.

[yella_dawg]

3. Damn

The end of an era. Love him or hate him (does anyone not like Carson?) the man had a huge impact on American life.

[tishaLA]

4. So sorry to hear this

He was one of the most important commentators on politics (and everything else) in the last century. RIP.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

5. Just saw on MSNBC, too.

[wgellis]

6. Conservative?

Wasn't Carson a conservative?

[in_cog_ni_to]

9. I don't know his politics.

He was hilarious. That's why I loved him. He always made me laugh.

[Carni]

74. He had unflattering words about herr bush last year

In an interview with Esquire he said:

"Can you believe this Enron mess? I love how Bush's good friend 'Kenny Boy' suddenly turned into 'Mr. Lay.' Give me a break!"

Johnny Carson


I don't know about his political leanings but even if he was a Conservative...he was apparently on to the fact that Bush is a crook and a liar!

[tishaLA]

16. I think neither side escaped his zingers

and he was never mean spirited about it, either.

Oh and he had an affair with Angie Dickinson for a long time. How bad can he be?

[americanstranger]

18. He stayed away from politics on his show,

but I believe he was pretty liberal in real life.

If Leno had half a brain, he'd follow Johnny's lead on political jokes on the show. Sadly, he still feels the need to roll out tired Clinton or Gore jokes every other night.

Johnny shoulda given the show to Letterman, IMO. Leno's turned it into a hack-fest by hiring asshats like Stuttering John.

-as

[fujiyama]

43. Johnny never liked Leno

He always wanted Letterman to have it, but the studios overruled him or atleast that's what I've heard.

I know that him and Letterman were good friends though.

I don't know how accurate it was, but there was a TV movie (HBO I Think) called the "Late SHift". It showed Leno in a pretty bad light.

[legalcoffee]

47. It's said that up until his death

he sent Letterman jokes to use in his show.

He was the only reason I was allowed to stay up late when I was little.

Good guy.

[drbtg1]

73. it was pretty accurate

It was based on the book of the same name, written by Bill Carter of the NY Times. Mr. Carter, who also co-wrote the screenplay, interviewed all the players in that episode, including Leno, Letterman, and Carson.

I agree Leno didn't come out smelling like roses, but I think his worst sin was blindly following Helen Kushnick, his agent and executive producer at the beginning of Leno's reign. Kushnick was really nasty, even planting stories that led to Carson walking. She treated most of Hollywood like shit too, like agent Ken Kragen (who apparently was sufficiently motivated to play himself in the movie). NBC forced her out and has since passed away.

NBC came off looking like crap in that movie too. On the other hand, Rich Little, in a very logical bit of casting, did very well portraying Mr. Carson. A very interesting movie.

[chemenger]

59. Johnny Carson was writing jokes for Letterman

I read that in the paper just last week.

[tx_dem41]

19. Who the heck cares....

let the man rest in peace.

[annabanana]

29. well........he was "square"..

But apolitical and funny as all hell.....He kind of got a "pass" from most everybody.

[Kurovski]

41. He was careful and measured in what he did,

but in at least one respect he was very progressive.

He encouraged and highlighted many female performers. Woman like Joan Rivers and Bette Midler to name two, who behaved in a way that woman, at the time, "were not supposed to act".

As a child,I remember well how the grown-up menfolk around me complained about how the "loud mouth babes" appearing on the show gave them a pain.

He made me laugh, which is the surest way to get me to love you, no matter what your political persuasion.
And he did in in a remarkably off-handed way that, upon analysis, was nothing less than amazing. It was the single best "magic trick" he ever learned. One that defies dissection.

He was one of only three people I ever wrote a fan letter to when I was a kid, I was too embarrassed to send it, and I regret having not done so now.

As Cuban_Liberal said on this thread, Godspeed, Mr. Carson.

[Liberty Belle]

31. I don't know, but he skewered a lot of conservatives.

His Reagan impersonation was priceless. I hope they'll rerun them in whatever tributes are aired on TV. Please watch, all you young'uns who never had the treat of watching Carson in action.

[oasis]

55. He was to cool to be a conservative. No fake like that jerk Dennis Miller.

Carson was for real.

[misanthrope]

56. He created a character...

...that would come on and give sort of "everyman" editorials, but the guy was a boob much along the lines of Archie Bunker. Carson, when speaking about the creation of the character, mentioned how he had been inspried by actual people who did similar things in reality. When describing the character, he said the guy "really loved America, was a real patriot, but for all the wrong reasons."

[oasis]

57. Johnny was genuine as they come. The real deal. A clever but modest

individual. He was a blast on the Tonight Show. :bounce:

[chemenger]

60. Floyd R. Turbo

One of the funniest Carson characters

[Cleita]

8. If he were still on The Tonight Show when * got selected he

would have zeroed in on the foibles of this administration instead of giving them the pass Leno gave them.

We all loved Johnny.

[ArcRabbit]

10. RIP Mr.Carson

nt

[JohnnyRingo]

11. His collector cars were showing up at auctions through last year

causing speculation of failing health.

I'm glad the media left him alone in his last days. (If they had a choice)

[Cuban_Liberal]

12. Godspeed, Johnny!

O8)

[benburch]

13. The great ones are all passing.

Will anybody remember Jay Leno as fondly? I doubt it.

[in_cog_ni_to]

14. Who?

;) :hi:

I agree.

[gollygee]

15. Oh that's very sad

I really liked him

[in_cog_ni_to]

17. He DID die from Emphysema. n/t

[Catchawave]

20. The end of another era :(

May he rest in peace.

[tridim]

21. Letterman is going to lose it

They were very close. I'm sure Monday's Late Show will be of 9/11 caliber.

[Cooley Hurd]

45. That's what I'm thinking, too...

Leno might mention it in passing, but Dave will probably devote Monday's show to him. Conan's also always shown reverence to Johnny, as well (Carson's pic is up on the wall of the set, along with Dave's, Jack Paar's and Steve Allen), so I'm sure Conan will do something, too.

[Romberry]

70. Monday's Late Show is scheduled to be a re-run.

I guess Letterman's tribute to Carson will have to come later unless they make a last minute change.

[KharmaTrain]

23. Latest From NBC...

Carson died in his sleep...had been suffering from Emphazema for years and had been in poor health for the past two years.

I can't recall where I saw it, but not long ago, someone popped a picture of Johnny coming out of a Hollywood movie theater and he was looking very gaunt...so this news was a shock, but not shocking.

I just wish I had a ticket to that big Friar's club in the sky...they're having one hell of a roast right now.

[ljm2002]

27. One of the greats, he was...

... He set a talk show standard and was the very best interviewer, especially when the guests were unknowns with some sort of special talent or story to tell... He was always respectful of them even when making asides (verbal or facial expressions)... He really set a standard.

RIP, Mr. Carson.

[LiberalFighter]

30. Current late nite don't have the flame to lite the candle that Johnny did

[Vinca]

32. I really loved Johnny.

He was one of the funniest people to ever walk the planet. I used to love the segments with wild animal visits. Didn't one crap on his head once? The man was just hysterical. If there happens to be a heaven, it just got a whole lot more entertaining.

[in_cog_ni_to]

36. His animal shows were PRICELESS!

They have a DVD of just those shows, "Animal Hijinks." You can buy them here http://www.johnnycarson.com/carson/shopping/dvds.jsp;jsessionid=2veowo66t6
We have his DVD set (not the animal set) and in honor of Johnny that's what we will be watching tonight. I NEVER get tired of watching him.

edited link

[LiberalFighter]

38. Definitely hilarious and embarrassing at times

[Cuban_Liberal]

33. Kick for visibility. n/t

[Greylyn58]

34. RIP Johnny

You will be truly missed.

May angels sing thee to thy rest, Carnac the Magnificent!!!

:cry:

[OneBlueSky]

35. one man of whom it can truly be said . . .

nobody did it better . . . and no one probably ever will . . . a unique comedic talent who millions went to bed with every night . . . he will be missed . . . RIP, Johnny . . .

[bettyellen]

39. Me and my brothers used to sneak down to listen to his monologue every

night when i was little. We'd shiver in the hallway and strain to listen and not laugh too loud. Eventually, my Dad would chase us up the stairs back to bed.

[mopaul]

40. ......................

[Rowdyboy]

42. How very sad.....

He had a wicked, wicked wit.

[Kurovski]

44. Bump nt

[Shopaholic]

46. I hate that some of you younger DU'ers don't remember him like

some of us of a certain age do. He was the King of Late Night-no doubt about it. He was the BEST. I love Dave but he's like an older brother-JC was the Mac Daddy of Late Night. Leno's a tool. I haven't watched the Tonight Show since he took over. Yeah-Dave is going to take this hard. But then again, so am I!

You've got to admire someone who could just walk away from a show when he was still on top and never look back and fade away from the spotlight. It takes a lot of grace and class to do that and it's a damn shame that more celebs couldn't follow his example before they turned into parodies of themselves.

[Bake]

48. Aw, man. Damn. Damn. Damn.

Bake

[high density]

49. AP article from a few days ago: "Carson Feeds Jokes To Letterman"

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/01/18/entertainment/main667673.shtml

Johnny Carson, the former Tonight Show host who's avoided the public eye since he retired from the show in 1992, still watches late-night television and stays in touch with friends including David Letterman. "Johnny is alright," his friend, Peter Lassally, told reporters Tuesday during a press conference to promote "The Late Late Show" on CBS.

Carson, 79, stays in contact with a small group of friends who rarely talk about their interactions with the man who reigned over late night programming for three decades. So, when Lassally started talking about Carson, reporters jotted down his comments and asked for more details.

"As you know, he has emphysema," said Lassally, a former executive producer of the Tonight Show. "Recently he had some breathing problems. He's fine. He's just fine."

These days Carson gets his dose of late-night programming during prime time in California, watching shows over East coast feeds. Lassally didn't say whether Carson watches The Tonight Show, now hosted by Jay Leno.

[Bake]

50. I'm surprised at how this has moved me.

I think it really is the end of an era. Johnny was incredibly funny, without being mean-spirited. He poked fun at things that were funny, regardless of political affiliation.

Now all we have is hate radio, hate TV, all hate all the time. And Leno -- what a fucking poser.

Goddammit. Goddammit.

Bake

[Bake]

51. Side note: He taught a generation of men how to DRESS.

The man always looked cool -- whether in a sport coat and slacks, a suit, or a tux. He showed my generation how to do it.

Bake

[GarySeven]

62. And now we wear hoodies and our pants below our hips.

sigh.

[Must_B_Free]

52. That picture is NOT Johnny Carson

It's some other white haired guy.

[SoCalDem]

53. Johnny Carson always had Class.. I will miss him

He retired before others wanted him to, because he said once that he had pretty much interviewed everyone and he didn't want to stay longer than he was wanted. He did not want to be on the downslide when he went out. I respect him for that, even though I would have liked him to stay longer.

I always pitied poor old Bob Hope when they wheeled him out into the public..(I prefer to remember Bob from the "road show" pictures, not as a poor old blind man in a wheelchair)

The sad fact is that humans deteriorate as we age. For people who have been in the public eye, it's doubly hard, since there is ample film of them in they younger days to counter them as they are "now".. I used to get angry when I would hear that photographers were hounding an old celebrity (Greta Garbo comes to mind) for the sole purpose of taking a picture of them looking decrepit, just so they could run it along side an old one of them in their prime..

We "love" our public figures too much, and inapproprately..RIP Johnny :cry:

[misanthrope]

54. Granted, he wasn't exactly "cutting edge,"...

...but what he "was," was an icon of the 20th century American social fabric. His show was a sublime nexus of pop culture and its like will never be seen again. He perfected a medium staple and carved out a spot in the nation's gestalt.

At the show's height, tuning in to the Tonight Show still had the relaxed air of dropping into a "ring-a-ding" kind of cocktail party, replete with jokes that (while tame in our present context) managed to bear an off-color, adult air without sending people over the edge. It was a fine line that he managed to walk with extraordinary ease.

Carson made the most of his natural ease before the camera, his self-deprecating humor, his ability to listen well to his guests, his remarkable gift for ad lib, and absolutely impeccable comic timing. Though his scripted material sometimes rang hollow, or just seemed "corny" in his later years, he was always worth the wait when he went away from the script.

All the talk of how much he will be missed and what-not is ill placed. The time for all of that was in 1992 when his direct influence truly ceased.

What his death comprises is more a benchmark, a resignation to the passage of time and an era of history.

[Hardrada]

68. Yes, an End of an Era

Of course I was not pleased in 1992 when Johnny retired. But I was also unhappy Jack Paar never came back to the show. I miss the sort of sophisticated conversation their shows encouraged. It wasn't hopping from film clip to film clip or pushing a book or something else commercial. A lot of witty insight lost. I also liked the Dick Cavett show for the same reasons.

[Dangerman]

58. May you rest in peace, Mr. Carson.

[Elwood P Dowd]

61. He is up there tip toeing through the tulips

with Tiny Tim. Remember him?

I started watching Johnny around 1963 as a high school student. Hard to believe he is gone. Only Dave can carry his jock strap as they say in football vernacular.

[in_cog_ni_to]

64. I watched that Tiny Tim show

when it aired, The Wedding to Miss Vikki. :eyes: Man that guy was weird. He's dead? I didn't know that. Did the marriage last? I just watched the Carson DVDs and The Wedding is on one of them. I'll never figure out what Miss Vikki saw in that man. She was quite pretty and he wasn't. ;) I started watching him when I was a Freshman in High School, 1969. Rarely missed his show. He was GREAT to go to bed with every night. ALWAYS went to bed smiling.

[Elwood P Dowd]

66. Tiny passed away in the 90s. Can't remember which year.

He and Miss Vikki were divorced a few years after the wedding.

[lildreamer316]

63. My Dad used to..

..let me stay up late to watch him. I'm only 30, but I loved his stuff. Gonna go buy the DVDs because I missed so many funny moments before I was old enough to understand them! He will be missed...

[Sugarbleus]

65. They did a tribute to him on NBC... it was soooooooooo sad

I grew up watching this man on latenight TV. He, his type of comedy was one of a kind. The tribute they did for him this evening had me and hubby laughing as they showed some of his bits...laughing even after all these years absent from the screen. Primo Man!

I watched Bette Midler when Carson signed off the tonight show for the last time. It was so touching. "So it's one for my baby, and one.more.for.the.road..."


THANK YOU and GOOD NIGHT DEAREST JOHNNY...............:loveya::cry:

[underseasurveyor]

67. I been missing Johnny since he retired and left the show

No other man yet (to date), has spent as many years in my bedroom as Johnny Carson has :-)

Loved ya Johnny:toast: Loved ya a lot:hug:
O8) Travel well, Friend :hi:

[solinvictus]

69. Johnny...

As a kid, I used to sneak up to listen to the show at night. I missed him after he retired and thought it an injustice that Leno was given "Tonight" over Letterman. RIP Johnny, you've earned it.

[Enraged_Ape]

71. The Greatest Talk Show Host EVER. Bar None.

This news just makes me terribly sad.

So many nights watching the Tonight Show with my dad, laughing our asses off--particularly at sketches such as Carnak and Floyd R. Turbo. (Remember Floyd R. Turbo? The ORIGINAL Freeper. Johnny had it down thirty years before the Jimrob folks.)

Johnny was the best interviewer ever, with a singular knack for bringing out the best and most entertaining in his guests. His humor was never mean-spirited and was often very sophisticated, requiring more than just a third-grade education to get the jokes; he never went for the cheap shot or the easy laugh. If he didn't get a laugh, he could always break out in a soft-shoe of "Tea for Two" with an apologetic look on his face. (I'm smiling now just remembering all the times he did that.)

I have missed this guy ever since he left television. Now I miss him something awful.

[Crankie Avalon]

72. Yes, he was a man with a very unique gift...

...the ultimate host. Urbane without ever being snobby, a smooth and relaxed wit. Funny with finesse. Just the sort of vibe to end a night with.

Maybe it's not nice to say about Mr. Leno, but a comparison makes Johnny Carson's talents even more apparent. Since Jay Leno took over, the Tonight Show really "dumbed down" and lost the poise and style it once had. Up till 1992 the show had class, and the reason was because of Johnny Carson.