5 days ago
Johnny Carson's eldest son Christopher dead at 74
Johnny Carson's eldest son, Christopher Carson, has died at 74.
The King of Late Night TV's close friend, Howard Smith, confirmed that Chris died earlier this year, during his appearance on Joe Sibilia's 'Nostalgia Tonight' podcast on Monday.
He shared that Johnny's nephew, Jeff Sotzing, informed him of Chris' death two months prior.
Smith did not reveal Chris' cause of death. Chris was living in Florida when he died.
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson host — who passed away in 2005 — shared three sons with his first wife, Joan Morrill Wolcott.
They welcomed Chris in 1950, followed by his brothers Rick the next year and Cory in 1953. The pair divorced in 1963.
'When John died, I tried to keep in communication with Chris,' Smith explained.
'I moved and bought a house outside of Fort Lauderdale. And at this golf club that I joined, I said to the guys, "You guys know Chris Carson?" The guy said, "Oh yeah, he's a member here." And I go, "Oh God." I said, "Well, I'm trying, you know, I'm a friend of his dad and all that. And I've been trying to get a hold of Chris, and Chris never got back with me."'
'When I went to this show that Jeff put on about John, and it was a fantastic, two-hour show that he did for about 100 people, and I said, "So Jeff, what's happening with Chris?" And he looks at me, goes, "Howard, Chris just died last week."'
'"Really?" I go, "Oh no."'
Smith shared that his bond with Chris grew strong during Johnny's golf trips when he was younger.
'Chris was an avid golfer, and so when he used to come, he lived in Florida, Fort Lauderdale, when he used to come to visit his dad, he would bring his clubs, because I would take them,' he said.
'We would play golf together, and John wouldn't play golf. John did play golf at one time, but he would just ride along with us.'
In the 1980s, Chris made headlines following the birth of his daughter, Christal Love Carson, with long-term girlfriend Tanena Love Green.
Their split resulted in a highly publicized child support court case.
During the trial, it was revealed that Chris worked as a golf instructor, but his main financial backing was from his father, who supplied him with cars, a house, and $35,000 each year.
Chris' brother Rick died at the age of 39 in a car accident on June 21, 1991.
Smith shared that 'Cory is still alive,' adding, 'But I don't know. They don't see anybody that much.'
Chris and Cory both remained out of the public eye. Following Johnny's death in 2005, his loved ones emphasized his wish for his family to live privately.
Johnny hosted the final Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson episode on May 22, 1992.
Carson's audience, which was more than triple the size of all three current network late-night shows combined, made him incredibly affluential across the '60s, '70s, and '80s.
He died in January 2005 at age 79.
