Conan O'Brien, just three weeks into hosting the Tonight Show, wouldn't let his audience forget where Ed McMahon made his most indelible mark.
"It is impossible, I think, for anyone to imagine the Tonight Show With Johnny Carson without Ed McMahon. Ed's laugh was really the soundtrack to that show," O'Brien, who employed the sidekick format with Andy Richter on Late Night until 2000, said during Tuesday's taping.
"For 30 years Ed played his part perfectly, he played it with effortless joy, and sitting alongside Johnny, Ed was an indelible part of what I think is the most iconic two-shot in broadcasting history," he continued.
"There will never be anything like that again. Now everybody here at the Tonight Show mourns the loss of this warm and really truly funny man. Our thoughts go out to his family and to his fans everywhere...Ed, you will be missed."
From the late-night couches to the Twitterverse, the tributes to McMahon poured in all day as his fellow celebs recalled his contributions to showbiz:
• David Letterman: "Ed McMahon's voice at 11:30 was a signal that something great was about to happen. Ed's introduction of Johnny was a classic broadcasting ritual—reassuring and exciting. Ed was a true broadcaster, and an integral part of Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. We will miss him."
• Tonight Show cohort Doc Severinsen: "Ed was full of life and joy and celebration. He will be sorely missed. He was one of the greats in show business, but most of all he was a gentleman. I miss my friend."
• Dick Clark: "Fifty years ago, Ed and I were next-door neighbors. Over the years, our friendship grew while he became one of America's favorite television personalities. We were together for years. Ed was a big man, had big talent and a really big heart. We'll all miss him."
• Perennial Tonight Show guest Don Rickles: "Ed McMahon was a friend from the day I first walked on a stage on the Johnny Carson show and sat down between Johnny and Ed. That kind of fun will never be repeated. Ed was the best at what he did and will never be replaced. Another giant is gone."
• Donald Trump (who last year offered to help the financially strapped McMahon): "America has lost one of its great icons. Ed McMahon was a terrific entertainer and a wonderful person—he will be greatly missed."
• California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger: "From Dick Clark's Bandstand to Star Search and the 30 years he spent in our living rooms as an integral part of the Tonight Show, Ed brought joy and laughter to millions of Americans. Maria and I were deeply saddened to learn of his death...Today we join the rest of the country in mourning the loss of this icon who was truly woven into the fabric of America."
Among those tweeting out:
• Drew Carey: "Cried over Ed McMahon this am. Started career Star Search/Tonight Show. Ed there for both. Hope he had peace. Wonderful man."
• Ashton Kutcher: "Rip Ed McMahon the origional Hype man."
• Ryan Seacrest: "Just getting started at work and heard that Ed mcmahon died! Love him! He was a very kind man."
• Britney Spears: "I am deeply saddened by today's news about Ed McMahon. He is responsible for giving so many artists their first shot including myself. He was a wonderful man and will be greatly missed."
Finally, former Tonight Show fill-in host Joan Rivers told MSNBC McMahon was "brilliant" and a "solid second banana."
"I liked him tremendously. He was just what you thought he'd be. The same on camera as off. He was affable, a team player, totally reliable and an all-around good guy. Don't forget, he created the form of sidekick on television that they still use today. By the way, I never slept with him."
We couldn't have said it any better.