Ed McMahon Dies at 86 (Wizbang Pop!)

Ed McMahon, the longtime pitchman and Johnny Carson sidekick who's "Heeeeeeerre's Johnny!" became a part of the vernacular, has died.

Ed McMahon had suffered several health problems in recent years.

McMahon's publicist, Howard Bragman, said Tuesday McMahon passed away peacefully at the Ronald Reagan/UCLA Medical Center shortly after midnight.

McMahon had suffered a number of health problems in recent years, including a neck injury caused by a 2007 fall. In 2002, McMahon sued various insurance companies and contractors over mold in his house; he later collected a $7 million settlement.

Though he later hosted a variety of shows - including "Star Search" and "TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes" -- McMahon's biggest fame came alongside Carson on "The Tonight Show," which Carson hosted from 1962 to 1992. The two met not long after Carson began hosting the game show "Who Do You Trust?" in 1957.

"Johnny didn't look as if he was dying to see me," McMahon, who was hosting a show on a Philadelphia TV station, told People magazine in 1980 about the pair's first meeting. "He was standing with his back to the door, staring at a couple of workmen putting letters on a theater marquee. I walked over and stood beside him. Finally the two guys finished, and Johnny asked, 'What have you been doing?' I told him. He said, 'Good to meet you, Ed,' shook my hand and I was out of the office. The whole meeting was about as exciting as watching a traffic light change."

Comments (1)

No one could hype a product... (Below threshold)

1. Posted by Paul Hooson | June 23, 2009 4:17 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Paul Hooson:

No one could hype a product like Ed McMahon. He was the greatest pitchman ever born. He'll be missed as a great American icon, and a great foil for Johnny Carson's jokes.