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Condé Nast

Condé Nast

Heeeeere’s Johnny Carson’s Biography, 20 Years in the Making

Condé Nast
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61% Informative

Author Bill Zehme died in 2023 at age 64 after a nearly decade-long bout with colorectal cancer.

He actively worked on Carson the Magnificent from 2005 until 2013 , when he started to feel ill.

The task of completing the book fell to author Mike Thomas , who shares an author credit.

Thomas says he felt like an “interloper” but is glad he accepted the challenge.

Zehme: "This book was Bill ’s passion project. This is as far underneath the surface as anybody is bound to get" He says it took Bill a decade to get Johnny on The Tonight Show .

He says the Tonight Show was a rite of passage for the comedian.

Johnny still matters. He influenced everyone who came after him, including Conan O'Brien , Kimmel , Kimmel and Kimmel .

"If you want a Johnny fix, he’s out there somewhere," he says.

"I think the moment for me was getting the physical book and seeing both our names on the cover".