A sad day. Ed McMahon, best known as Johnny Carson's side kick for the tonight show, died at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in California this morning after an array of medical problems, including Cancer.

I first remember Ed as a kid watching Star Search, a famous TV show that paved the way for shows like American Idol, Canadian Idol, So you think you can Dance and Britain's Got Talent.

Ed's run on the show was from 1983 to 1995 and was later taken over by Arsenio Hall who watched American Idol runner up David Archuleta win.

Over the course of his career McMahon did a ton of commercials, his voice easily recognizable and enjoyed. He became the lead presenter for the American Family Publisher sweepstakes.

Toward the end of his life it is said that McMahon unable to work after injuring himself, his neck and unable to work found himself in financial trouble and looked to foreclosing his $5 million Beverly Hills home. Donald Trump apparently offered to buy the home and lease it back to Ed to "Help out an American Icon" and that is what Ed McMahon was, whether you got his jokes or not.

And Ed fan or not, everyone knows or can recall him as Johnny's partner on the Tonight Show and for the robust introduction that took place every night before Johnny hit the stage. "Heeeeeeeeeeere's Johnny!" became a legendary call out by Ed.

Ed served as a colonel in the United States Marines and ended up a fighter pilot. He served his country well before and after the war and with a smile that was infectious.

A game show host for Concentration, a tv show announcer, movie star and good friend to many. Ed's family say he settled his financial situation before his death and was at peace surrounded by those he loved when he passed.

It's a sad day for television and one of their greats. He will be missed by many. Goodbye Ed, I hope you are at peace and happier without suffering anymore.

Quotes from Ed McMahon over the course of his career


'Honesty is the most single most important factor having a direct bearing on the final success of an individual, corporation, or product.'

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

- Ed McMahon


'Johnny once described our relationship by saying we were as close as two people could be without being married.'
- Ed McMahon


Ed McMahon on the topic of rebuilding New Orleans:
'This is a city that’s had a terrible tragedy, but there’s an opportunity to build it back and build it back better. It could become a city that integrates rather than isolates, a city that inspires, a city that celebrates history and diversity and culture'
- Ed McMahon


“You can't imagine hooking up with a guy like Carson,” Mr. McMahon said an interview in 1993. “There's the old phrase, hook your wagon to a star. I hitched my wagon to a great star.”

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• Ed McMahon Johnny Carson's Tonight Show sidekick dies aged 86 (telegraph.co.uk)