Ed McMahon

TV Host, Celebrity Pitchman dead at 86

Ed McMahon remembered for unflagging humor, spirit

LOS ANGELES -- At a tribute to the late sidekick of "The Tonight Show," Ed McMahon was remembered as a rare individual in the entertainment industry - a man whom "100 percent of the people liked," actor Tom Arnold said.

Arnold, who worked with McMahon on the 1997 WB sitcom "The Tom Show," said he envisioned him greeting "Tonight" host Johnny Carson in heaven.

"Hey, Johnny, great news: I brought Farrah (Fawcett) and Michael Jackson with me. We're gonna have a hell of a show tonight," Arnold said, drawing laughs from the audience of several hundred at the Wednesday night tribute.

The ceremony at the Television Academy of Arts & Sciences featured performances of "My Way" and other songs, along with solemn salutes from Marines in dress uniforms who presented U.S. flags to McMahon's family.

McMahon, 86, died June 23 after a long hospitalization for several health problems. He had broken his neck in a fall in March 2007, and battled a series of financial problems as his injuries prevented him from working.

The tribute focused on his unflagging humor and spirit.

"For my dad, life was a festival, a celebratory experience," said son Jeff McMahon. "No occasion was ever mundane."

Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Mike Lehnert said few knew of McMahon's military record because "he didn't flaunt it."

Lehnert recounted McMahon's service in World War II as a flight instructor and test pilot, his time in the Marine Reserves and his return to active duty in the Korean War. He flew 85 missions and retired as a full colonel in 1966.

"You lived your life at full throttle," Lehnert said.

TV host Leeza Gibbons called McMahon a kind "big brother" and an inspiration.

"He could host anything, he could sell anything. And he never ever lost his cool on camera," she said.

Two oversized, framed images of McMahon decorated the stage in the auditorium. One showed the familiar business-suited TV entertainer. The other, a portrait, depicted McMahon in a flight suit with two military planes aloft behind him.

Daughter Linda McMahon recalled him as a scholar, a poet, a reader of classics, a jazz fan and a generous, big-hearted man who "didn't know the meaning of the word 'no.'"

"Until we meet again, Dad, rest now in peace. We love you forever," she said.

Before the tribute, Pam McMahon choked back tears as she spoke about her husband. She stayed by his side during the five months he was hospitalized before his death.

"He really was one of the most wonderful men I ever met in my entire life," she said. "He was such a good, good man. He was loving and kind to me and had such a pure heart."

_________________________________________________________

Here's Ed: McMahon a second banana for the TV ages

By LYNN ELBER, AP Television Writer

LOS ANGELES -- When Johnny Carson ruled as king of late-night TV, Ed McMahon was the prince of second bananas.

McMahon's great talent as Carson's "Tonight Show" sidekick was reacting to his every joke, every double-take and every skit as if he'd never heard or seen anything funnier.

His implausibly hearty laugh buoyed Carson even when his comedy fell flat, which could happen to the best of talk show hosts, and encouraged the audience to believe they were always at the right party.

Viewers wanted to do what Ed was doing: sit next to Johnny and be his good buddy, at least for an hour or so.

Each night brought the familiar, booming introduction, rooted in McMahon's days as an eager young hawker at carnivals and state fairs.

"And now h-e-e-e-e-e-ere's Johnny!" McMahon shouted out in his rich announcer's voice, followed by a slight but unmistakable bow toward Carson.

Sure, he was kowtowing--but to a really cool boss.

McMahon died shortly after midnight Tuesday at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center surrounded by his wife, Pam, and other family members, said his publicist, Howard Bragman. He was 86.

Bragman didn't give a cause of death, saying only that McMahon had a "multitude of health problems the last few months."

McMahon broke his neck in a fall in March 2007, and battled a series of financial problems as his injuries prevented him from working.

Doc Severinsen, "Tonight" bandleader during the Carson era, remembered McMahon as a man "full of life and joy and celebration."

"He will be sorely missed. He was one of the greats in show business, but most of all he was a gentleman. I miss my friend," Severinsen said in a statement.

David Letterman paid tribute to McMahon as a "true broadcaster" and key part of Carson's show.

"Ed McMahon's voice at 11:30 was a signal that something great was about to happen. Ed's introduction of Johnny was a classic broadcasting ritual--reassuring and exciting," Letterman said, adding, "We will miss him."

McMahon became emblematic of his breed and a comedy favorite. The boisterous Hank "Hey Now!" Kingsley on the HBO comedy "The Larry Sanders Show" was clearly patterned on McMahon, while Phil Hartman channeled him opposite Dana Carvey's Johnny Carson on "Saturday Night Live."

Carson knew he had picked the right sideman. He kept McMahon on board for all of his three decades on "Tonight" and the two worked together for nearly five years before that, on the game show "Who Do You Trust?"

The contrast between the men worked for comedy. Carson was drolly sophisticated, while McMahon had a good-humored everyman air. McMahon's solid 6-foot-4 frame gave him size advantage over the slender, shorter Carson, making McMahon's guffaws seem more a gift than a duty.

That regular-guy persona helped as McMahon vigorously marketed himself and secured his place in pop culture beyond "Tonight."

He bounced from one TV genre to the next, appearing on game shows, variety shows, sitcoms and more. There he was, on "The Hollywood Squares," on "The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour," on "Hee Haw," on "Full House."

There were even a handful of movie roles--supporting ones, of course.

McMahon probably came closest to center stage as host of "Star Search," which debuted in the early '80s--well before the current age of the acidic talent show judge--and his trademark bonhomie held the spotlight.

The commercials he and Dick Clark made for

continued...