From Reuters:
Legendary television entertainer Johnny Carson has died of emphysema at age 79, the NBC television network reported on its Web site on Sunday.
Carson hosted NBC’s popular “The Tonight Show” for nearly 30 years, long dominating late-night television with an estimated 12 million viewers each night. He did his final show on Friday, May 22, 1992, seen by 55 million, and was replaced the next Monday by the current host, Jay Leno.
Sidekick Ed McMahon introduced him nightly with the rallying cry of “Heeeeeeere’s Johnny!” Carson’s blend of humor, music and conversation was the last thing millions of Americans heard before drifting off to sleep.
Also see Wikipedia and MyWay.com.
Previous obituaries: Shirley Chisholm, Rick James, Ronald Reagan and Superman.
Update (1/25): Did Johnny Carson have a black granddaughter? I’m getting a lot of Google hits from searches on this.