R.I.P. Ed McMahon, self-deprecating ad star

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At one time, Ed McMahon was one of the most famous human beings on the media landscape. From 1962 until 1992, as the announcer on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show, his "H-e-e-e-e-re's Johnny" catchphrase, guffaws from the guest couch (frequently unrelated to anything taking place on the program) and self-deprecating humor helped define late-night TV. He was a pop-culture icon of the first degree, often parodied (notably by Phil Hartman on Saturday Night Live), sometimes challenged for sidekick supremacy (Paul Schaffer at his peak), but never duplicated.

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