Johnny Carson

John William "Johnny" Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host and comedian, known for thirty years as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962–1992).

Early life and career
Carson was born in Corning, Iowa, in 1925, to Homer Lloyd "Kit" Carson, a power company manager, and Ruth (Hook) Carson, who was of Irish ancestry. He grew up in the nearby towns of Avoca, Clarinda, and Red Oak in southwest Iowa before moving to Norfolk, Nebraska, at the age of eight. At the age of twelve, Carson found a book on magic at a friend's house and immediately purchased a mail-order magician's kit. He debuted as "The Great Carsoni" at age 14 and he was paid US$3; many other performances at local picnics and country fairs followed.

Carson joined the U.S. Navy on June 8, 1943, received V-12 officer training at Columbia University and Millsaps College, and continued to perform magic.

Death
Carson died in West Hollywood, California from respiratory failure caused by emphysema, aged 79.Longtime host of 'Tonight Show' dies at 79  Associated Press, February 8, 2005

References


Other websites

Official website for The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson
 at Salon
 at The New Republic
Tynan, Kenneth. 1978 profile, The New Yorker
The Johnny Carson Show, USA Today
Martin, Steve. Posthumous Letter to Carson, The New York Times
Watch on line either clips from or entire program Johnny Carson King of Late Night - Watch The Full Documentary  pbs.org Includes a page on the making of the documentary.
Episodes and highlights of the Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson are available on DVD at http://JohnnyCarson.com, on iTunes at http://itunes.com/JohnnyCarson, and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/JohnnyCarson
Follow Johnny Carson on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JohnnyCarson and Facebook at http://facebook.com/JohnnyCarson.

Obituaries
Obituary at CNN
Obituary  at MSNBC
Wolcott, James. Obituary , Vanity Fair

Category:1925 births
Category:2005 deaths
Category:Actors from Iowa
Category:American television actors
Category:American television talk show hosts
Category:Comedians from Iowa
Category:Deaths from emphysema
Category:Deaths from respiratory failure
Category:Disease-related deaths in the United States
Category:Kennedy Center honorees
Category:American Emmy Award winners
Category:Peabody Award winners