Johnny Carson was born in Corning, Iowa, but the family moved when he was eight years old to the adjacent town of Norfolk, Nebraska, where he became known as the “King of Late Night TV” and ruled the late-night television landscape for three decades.
He was the child of manager for the Iowa-Nebraska Light & Power Company Homer Lloyd “Kit” Carson and Ruth E. (Hook). He began his career in show business in Norfolk, where he resided up until his enlistment in the U.S. Navy in 1943.
He started performing as “The Great Carsoni” the magician at local clubs when he was 14 years old.
The six-time Emmy winner thought about starting a spin-off of “The Tonight Show,” but nothing piqued his attention. As befitted his solitary personality, he spent the last ten years of his life in a peaceful retirement in Malibu, California.
Emphysema patient Carson, who underwent quadruple bypass surgery in 1999, passed away peacefully on January 23, 2005, at the age of 79. He was surrounded by his loved ones. Carson shares the title of “TV Great” with Jackie Gleason and Lucille Ball in terms of career longevity, popularity, peer esteem, and influence on the medium.
On-screen life for Johnny Carson was simpler than off-screen existence. Behind the scenes, he had a tense relationship with his three kids.
Who are Johnny Carson children?
Christopher (born 1950), Richard (who was born in 1952 and died in an accident in 1991), and Cory (born 1953) are the children who succeeded him.
