John William Carson was born on Oct. 23, 1925 in Corning, Iowa, but was raised in Nebraska, where he attended the University of Nebraska. He served in the Navy from 1943 to 1946.

Carson got an early jump in the entertainment business as a magician at age 14. Back then, he was called "The Great Carsoni." Later, he popularized the character "Carnac the Magnificent."

He was in a number of radio and television shows throughout the years with stars such as Red Skelton. He also hosted a game show before taking the job that would become his legacy, replacing host Jack Paar as head of "The Tonight Show" in 1962. By his side from the start was Ed McMahon, who mastered the trademark introduction, "Heeere's Johnny."

As host of one of the most popular shows on television, he dominated the airwaves with big stars and big ratings, giving several stars their big breaks and welcoming the oddities, including the marriage of Tiny Tim to Miss Vicki and an array of exotic animals.

In 1972, the show moved from New York to Burbank, a move whose wisdom was originally questioned. Over the years, he hosted 4,531 episodes with more than 22,000 guests. At times, "The Tonight Show" accounted for 17 percent of NBC's total revenues.

"Were it not for Johnny, NBC could easily be Westinghouse today," Lewis said, referring to the previous owner of the network, along with RCA and General Electric. GE now solely owns NBC.

Carson hit on politics frequently during his monologues, skewering lawmakers of every stripe and mirroring the mood of voters. His Watergate jabs at President Nixon were seen as cementing Nixon's fall from office in 1974...