Johnny carson last photo

It might be hard to grasp today just how big Johnny Carson was. He hosted "The Tonight Show" from until , a bedtime companion for 9 million viewers each night. And as famed names lined up to sit on his couch, over time, Johnny's name became as big as their own. Esquire magazine's Bill Zehme began a biography of Johnny Carson in and interviewed the man himself, as well as friends, competitors, ex-wives and family.

When Bill died of cancer in , Mike Thomas, who had once been arts and entertainment writer at the Chicago Sun-Times, took over what had become a huge literary project.

Johnny carson last words

Their new book, "Carson The Magnificent. Mike, thanks so much for being with us. I mean, Carson started his show in , quickly became a phenomenon and was on television when there weren't that many channels. But he was at the top of his game, and everybody watched it.

How old was johnny carson when he died

Material that I had to wade through that Bill had collected - transcripts from people and shows and all kinds of artifacts, a big pink check from Johnny to Doc Severinsen, his band leader, an ugly Johnny Carson collection tie. Bill had everything. THOMAS: Well, I mean, magic was his first form of performing, and he retained this fascination with magic throughout his life and career.

I think he loved being able to pull one over on people. He loved the skills involved in magic, the sleight of hand and the secrets that magicians kept. And Johnny did a lot of disappearing himself. He wasn't a very revelatory guy. He would reveal himself in bits and pieces during the show, mostly in his monologues or maybe in guest interviews and stuff like that.