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Ed McMahon became that rare pop cultural mainstay - most recognizable for the sound of his voice. And, you know, things happen."

On June 23, 2009, McMahon died with his wife, Pam, and other family members at his side after suffering from a multitude of health issues.

McMahon told CNN's Larry King that the six-bedroom, five-bath house had been on the block for two years, listed at $6.25 million, but with the housing market ebbing, then crashing, he had received no offers and faced foreclosure. Despite stepping down to make way for Jay Leno and crew, McMahon remained busy with "Star Search" for another three years, and in 1997, even netted a regular cast role in the Tom Arnold sitcom "The Tom Show" (The WB, 1997-98), but the balance of his work since that time was largely guest appearances playing himself.

He did return to the second banana role briefly in 2004, reenacting his Carson duties alongside the furry, wisecracking "alien" puppet ALF in "ALF's Hit Talk Show," which ran only seven episodes on TV Land.

In 2002, a burst water pipe in his Beverly Hills house had turned even uglier. First and foremost, his nightly introduction of late-night TV icon Johnny Carson with his inimitable "He-eeeeeere's Johnny!" his "Hi-yo!" and unmistakable off-camera laugh made him one of the most lovable sidekicks in television history. In fact, Ed Jr. grew up in New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts, later claiming to have attended 15 different schools.

By his teen years, he began helping out his dad with his burgeoning talent for public address announcing.

As he departed town, he had an auto accident and my father, who ran one of the local garage/gas stations was the tow truck guy to pick up the car. In 1956, Clark had assumed hosting duties for "Bandstand," and ABC picked it up for national broadcast, recasting it as "American Bandstand" (1957-1989) which, of course, put Clark on track as national arbiter of the rock & roll wave sweeping the country.

Though the Sanders character obviously drew much from Carson protégé and CBS late-night staple David Letterman, Shandling - a former Carson guest-host - intimated that the love/futz/abide dynamic between the two, as well as producer Artie (Rip Torn), offered a hyperbolized peek at the behind-the-scenes relationships at "The Tonight Show."

McMahon, who graciously did a cameo on one "Sanders" episode, had his share of discomfiture with his own corporate relationships: Colonial Penn coming under scrutiny in the late 1980s for offering seniors health insurance at deceptive rates, and American Family Publishing file for bankruptcy in 1999 after years of public contention and even litigation over how it promoted its sweepstakes ("You may have already won!").

He was 86.

1. Biography of Ed McMahon
2. Early Life and Career
3. Partnership with Johnny Carson
4. Other Television Work and Films
5. Later Life and Legacy

Biography of Ed McMahon

Ed McMahon was an American actor and television host.

"I was making $500 a week and at the fairs, and six weeks in the fall, we made $1,000 a week. Broadcast Pioneers member Gene Crane, an old hand at Channel 10 e-mailed:

I suddenly remember. NBC gave him concurrent work hosting some of its game shows through the 1960s and into the 1970s, including "Snap Judgment" (1967-69) "Missing Links" (1963-64), a brief stint on the long-running "Concentration" (1958-1973) and the short-lived "Whodunit" (1979).

He helped pay his college expenses by hawking vegetable slicers in high-traffic locations like county fairs and the Atlantic City boardwalk.

He later remembered: "I made one hell of an income selling slicers in 1946," he recalled years later. I've been producing this show for 20 years and I still don't know exactly what it is you do, but whatever it is, you're the very best at it."

When Carson retired from "The Tonight Show" in 1992, so did McMahon.

The party was at the Black Horse Tavern, probably across from what is now the Bala Cynwyd Center.

Maxine DeLong, a visitor to our website e-mailed:

Ed McMahon was a salesman-entreprenur back in the 50's. McMahon's outgoing and energetic personality provided a contrast to Carson's more reserved demeanor. McMahon sued his insurance company, insurance adjusters and contractors for negligence, settling the case out of court for a reported $7.2 million.

He also appeared in several films, including the crime drama "Incident, or The Incident in the Subway" in 1967, the comedy "Fun with Dick and Jane" in 1976, the comedic horror film "Full Moon High" in 1981, and the crime drama "Butterfly" in 1982. A few years before Carson stepped down, de Cordova and McMahon were having drinks at the renowned Beverly Hills restaurant Chasen's, when de Cordova said, "Ed, I want to tell you something.

Though generally just aired as filler programming, the specials rated well enough for NBC to commit to a hybrid series, "TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes" (1984-86) starting in the fall of 1984 and hosted by both Clark and McMahon.

Meanwhile, in 1983, McMahon made his famous foray into syndicated television as host of a concept that would anticipate a glut of hybrid reality/game shows two decades hence: "Star Search" (1982-1995).

All of this absurdity prompted one of their regular bits, when they would look at each other and one would say wistfully, referring to themselves: "graduates of major universities."

As his name and voice reached household status, McMahon lengthened his résumé across a spectrum of formats.