JOHNNY CARSON DEAD AT 79

Flowers, notes and other mementos left by fans surround Johnny Carson's Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, California January 24, 2005. Carson, a TV icon whose easy Midwestern charm and quick wit made him the king of late night during his 30-year reign as host of NBC's "The Tonight Show,"died Sunday at his Malibu home. He was 79. Carson's down-home personality and always-tasteful humor set the standard by which all TV hosts who followed him have been judged. During his 1962-92 run on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," the program was a cherished bedtime ritual for millions of Americans and one of the most profitable programs in television history.