Ed McMahon Dies | America's Straight Man Escapes Debt

He rode high, lived high

Fans of late night American television over the years have heard of Ed McMahon. He was the perennial straight man, a foil for the jokes of the all-time king of late night, Johnny Carson. Now like his leader in hilarity, Ed McMahon too has died. He was 86 years old.

If you could go through life with someone announcing your entrance in much the same way that Ed McMahon would joyfully exclaim “Heeeeeere’s… Johnny!”, wouldn’t it be fun? Everybody dreams of being somebody, and having someone like Ed prepping the room for you would be a hoot.

You know what else everyone dreams of being? Financially well off. Ed McMahon did well for himself during his career, but the lavish homes and lifestyle caught up to him in his later years. His mansion was foreclosed and his credit rating took a hit. It seems he even took it upon himself to go to the homes of Publishers’ Clearing House in an attempt to reclaim the giant checks he’d delivered. Sidekick’s gotta have money. I wonder if he ever tried payday loans for fast cash?

“HEY-oooh!”

Mark Silva blogs for Swamp Politics that Ed McMahon was “a sounding board for years of good, clean fun.” In addition, his product hawking was always received with good humor. Without McMahon’s endorsement of Publishers’ Clearing House, that would never have become the national name that it did. ... click here to read the rest of the article titled "Ed McMahon Dies | America's Straight Man Escapes Debt"