Ed McMahon Dies
Television personality and Tonight Show veteran Ed McMahon died June 23 at age 86. He passed away at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles; he’d been receiving treatment for pneumonia for the past several weeks. McMahon was Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show sidekick from 1962 until Carson retired in 1992. In addition to providing a “human laugh track” for Carson, McMahon announced the host each night with his now-iconic phrase, “Heeeeeere’s Johnny!” McMahon is also known for his Publishers’ Clearing House commercials and hosting duties on Star Search. He was most recently in the news last year for financial problems that nearly resulted in the foreclosure of his California home. He was prominently featured alongside MC Hammer in a Super Bowl commercial this year for Cash4Gold, which poked fun at his financial woes.
