Edward Leo Peter "Ed" McMahon, Jr. (March 6, 1923 – June 23, 2009) was an American comedian, game show host, announcer, and television personality. Most famous for his work on television as Johnny Carson’s announcer on Tonight Show from 1962 to 1992, and as the host of the talent show Star Search from 1983 to 1995, he later also became well-known as the presenter of American Family Publishers sweepstakes, which arrives unannounced at the homes of winners. He subsequently made a series of Neighborhood Watch Public Service Announcements parodying that role.
The Tonight Show
McMahon and Johnny Carson first worked together as announcer and host on the daytime game show Who Do You Trust? (1957-1962). McMahon and Carson left to join The Tonight Show in 1962.
He describes what happened when the pair first met, the whole meeting being "about as exciting as watching a traffic light change".
For more than 30 years, McMahon introduced the Tonight Show with a drawn-out "Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeere’s Johnny!" His booming voice and constant laughter alongside the "King of Late Night" earned McMahon the nickname the Human Laugh Track and "Toymaker to the King".
Death of Ed McMahon
Ed McMahon died in his sleep at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center just after midnight on June 23, 2009. Ed McMahon had a "multitude of health problems the last few months" including broken neck from a fall last year. Unconfirmed report says he also had a bone cancer.
McMahon was 86 years old at the time of his death
Ed McMahon with Johnny Caron