The last days of Johnny Carson shared his close friends in a touching memoir

Howard Smith often worried about his friend and neighbor Johnny Carson.

“He smoked a lot – he would smoke three packs of cigarettes a day,” said Smith Fox News Digital. “He would come to my house and we would play tennis, and then he would light a cigarette.”

“I probably had been on it for six months, just saying,” John, you must consider, perhaps not smoking so much, “Smith said. After that, he never smoked. “

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For the last 18 years of his life, the legendary leading “Tonight Show” has not smoked, Smith said in his book. But irreversible damage was caused. In 2002, he was diagnosed with emphysema, a disease that killed it in 2005 at the age of 79.

Smith, who “knew and loved” a fierce private television, recently wrote memoirs, “My friend Johnny: The last 20 years of beautiful life with Johnny Carson and friends.” The preface was written by Jay Leno.

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“I wanted people to know John, John I knew,” the retired businessman explained. “I wasn’t in the show -bizes. I had the biggest software campaign in the world at the time. And I think because I wasn’t engaged in show -bizes, he could trust me.

“I read a few things that were written about John, and I would say that 90% of these articles were not favorable,” he shared. “They were down to John. And it was not the one I knew. I wanted people to meet my friend.”

Like any good buddy, Smith was concerned about Carson’s habits. According to his book, Carson was a “avid smoker” Specifying him to ask, ask and even urge him to consider refusing smoking. And it was the fourth wife of Carson Alexis Maas, ultimately forced him to quit, said Smith.

“John was a stubborn man,” Smith admitted. “I would give it – so much. I think that’s why I liked it because we would go there on different things. I never treated him as a star.”

In 2002, CBS News published a story called “Johnny Carson: I’m not so sick”. At the time, Carson stated through a press -secretary that when it came to his illness, “I deal with it as I can and it does not cause serious problems.” However, Smith claimed that Carson was much ill than the title meant. He just did not want the public to “make a hustle and bustle”.

“For our 20 -year -old tennis games, I knew the sound of John’s laughter, his forojanda, and his hard -working breath,” Smith wrote. “By the end, his breath became harder. We started playing less often, and then, unfortunately, even suddenly, despite all the signs when I was afraid, it came.”

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Smith told Fox News Digital that he still remembers the last time he saw his friend. It was after the New Year in 2005. He called them “last dinner” in the evening.

“I’m at the pharmacy at Malibu, and he was accidentally there,” Smith reminded. “He goes, ‘What are you doing tonight? “I said,” Nothing. “He said,” Why don’t we go dinner tonight? “John’s wife had a place in Pittsburgh, so she spent a lot of time with her family.

“John was the funniest thing I saw,” Smith mused. “He continued and continued, told stories about different people who had at the exhibition … We just laughed. Our stomachs ached with laughter … At one point I said,” I have to go to bed, “and John was so:” Oh, no, Howard I want to tell you this other story. “

“Looking back, there was something in our heads that evening, we probably had 500 lunches, and it was never so ridiculous, continuing and continued. We had dinner at 6 o’clock and returning home to eight.”

“For some reason that night he just wanted to tell us all these stories and make us laugh,” Smith continued. “We had never laughed before. It doesn’t matter that he didn’t want to leave, not hearing it at first. At the end of the night, he brought us to our house, leaves the car. He also gave my wife Jane, and my kiss and hugs. Then he tells us,” I love you.

“I think he knew he was dying but did not want us to worry,” Smith said quietly, fighting tears. “But at this point he just wanted to remember the good times. He wanted to tell us how much we meant. He wanted to give us the best of himself.”

According to Smith, Carson died 16 days later.

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“When I think about this night, I feel that I wanted to tell us that everything is fine with him and that he loves us,” Smith said. “It’s John I knew.”

Today, Smith prefers to remember happier times. While Carson was “intimate and shy”, he slowly opened to the neighbor who suggested playing with him tennis.

“We used to play tennis three -four days a week,” Smith smiled. “Then he once said, ‘Howard, I don’t think I can play anymore. I think I’m over gas. But let’s do it. On Saturdays and Sundays you will come to my house. I’ll make you coffee, and we just sit down, let’s talk about life. “

And in these next years, Carson did not crave the spotlight, Smith insisted.

“After he retired, he had another life,” Smith explained. “He traveled the world. He went to Africa. He was studying Swahili for two months. Then he went to Russia and learned Russian to speak people. He used this telescope in his home to look at the stars. In my wife and I would often discuss with him. About the theory of the Big Bang. “

“A lot of people wished him not retired,” Smith said. “But John isn’t. to a local restaurant in Malibu For dinner and there was a young child who made different card tricks for people. And John was delighted. He would go: “Can you do it?” For this child he did all kinds of cards … John was shy and quiet, but he just loved to be himself. “

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And Carson was a loyal friend who twice did not think about offering a secret hand, Smith said. He quietly donated to a children’s hospital in Los -Angeles, as well as a local group that is engaged in helping veterans homeless among other charity organizations.

“He loved life,” Smith said. “And he returned. He did not need advertising for that.”

Today, Smith wants the public to discover the new side of the “King Late Night”.

“I did not understand what we had built this special connection with him,” Smith said. “But I am still grateful for the day when we first decided to play tennis together.”