Legendary U.S. television host Johnny Carson, who stayed grounded while reaching the pinnacle of show business success, has died at age 79.
"Mr. Carson passed away peacefully early Sunday morning," his nephew, Jeff Sotzing, told The Associated Press. "He was surrounded by his family, whose loss will be immeasurable. There will be no memorial service."
Sotzing would not give further details, including the time of death or the location. NBC reported that Carson succumbed to emphysema.
Beginning in 1962, the comedian hosted NBC's Tonight Show for 30 years and was arguably the most popular entertainer in America. He was the third man to host the show, succeeding Steve Allen and Jack Paar.
The Nebraska native retired at the top of his game in May, 1992. In his final show, he told his audience: "And so it has come to this. I am one of the lucky people in the world. I found something that I always wanted to do and I have enjoyed every single minute of it."
Perhaps to explain that success, comedian Jerry Lewis said of Carson: "I think that Johnny, no matter how long he lived in Hollywood, and no matter how much money he made, he still had a piece of straw stuck in his ear."
Carson reportedly drove himself to work throughout his career.
Long-time sidekick Ed McMahon -- famous for his "He-e-e-e-e-re's Johnny!!" -- said Sunday that Carson was "like a brother to me.
"When we ended our run on 'The Tonight Show' and my professional life continued, whenever a big career decision needed to be made, I always got the OK from 'The Boss.'"
Stepping down
The battle to replace him was a fierce one, with Jay Leno -- one of his long-term guest hosts -- given the nod ahead of the more acerbic David Letterman.
Just to get on his show was seen as a triumph for a young comedian. The Tonight Show launched many careers. Both Letterman and Leno credited it as a turning point in their young careers.
Carson was married four times, and divorced three times. In 1991, one of his three sons, 39-year-old Ricky, was killed in a car accident.
Nearly all of Carson's professional life was spent in television, from his postwar start at Nebraska stations in the late 1940s to his three decades with NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
His big break was a fluke. A writer for Red Skelton, he was thrust onstage in the early 1950s after Skelton was knocked unconscious right before showtime. Carson stepped in, was noticed, and didn't look back.
Carson chose to let Tonight stand as his career zenith and finale, withdrawing into a quiet retirement that suited his private nature and refusing involvement in other show business projects.
In 1993, he explained his absence from the limelight. "I have an ego like anybody else," Carson told The Washington Post, "but I don't need to be stoked by going before the public all the time."
Offstage, he was said to be quiet and shy.
While he stayed off-stage in retirement, Carson sent the occasional joke to Letterman and always got a kick when one made it into Letterman's monologue.
Doc Severinsen was Carson's long-term bandleader. When Carson turned 70, he said: "Every place we go, people ask `How is he? Where is he? What is he doing? Tell him how much we miss him.' It doesn't surprise me."
Letterman said: "Thank God for videotapes and DVDs. In this regard, he will always be around."
With files from the Associated Press
