Ed McMahon

NEW YORK, June 23, 2009 – With the passing of Ed McMahon, the book on a TV legacy is, sadly, closed forever. Agruably the greatest emcee of all time, Ed – who served as Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show announcer from 1962 to 1992 – died yesterday morning in Los Angeles, surrounded by his family. His publicist said the 86-year-old broadcasting icon had a “multitude of health problems the last few months.”

But it wasn’t that long ago that Ed had us captivated with tales of his seven decades on television. Appearing on The Andrea Shea King Show in 2007, Ed recalled his first-ever job in the medium.

“In 1949, I started in Philadelphia, on a show called Take 10,” he said. “I was the host of a three-hour, daily, live variety show. I was the producer, I was the makeup man, I swept up the studio – whatever you had to do. I was on the air from 12 to three, and I was the happiest man in North America.”

Later in the show, Ed recounted working with Johnny (who died in 2005 at age 79) for the first time ever.