NEED TO KNOW
Johnny Carson’s eldest son, Christopher Carson, died earlier this year, according to Howard Smith, who is a friend of the family
Chris was 74 and lived in Florida at the time of his death
Smith remembered Chris as an “avid golfer,” noting the iconic Tonight Show host often joined them on golf trips just to watch his son play
Johnny Carson’s eldest son, Christopher Carson, has died.
According to Howard Smith, a close friend of the late television host, Chris died earlier this year at the age of 74.
During an appearance on the Nostalgia Tonight podcast hosted by Joe Sibilia on Monday, June 2, Smith revealed that he learned of Chris’ death two months ago from Johnny’s nephew, Jeff Sotzing.
“When John died, I tried to keep in communication with Chris,” Smith explained. “I moved and bought a house outside of Fort Lauderdale. And at this golf club that I joined, I said to the guys, ‘You guys know Chris Carson?’ The guy said, ‘Oh yeah, he’s a member here.’ And I go, ‘Oh God.’ I said, ‘Well, I’m trying, you know, I’m a friend of his dad and all that. And I’ve been trying to get a hold of Chris, and Chris never got back with me.’ “
He continued: “When I went to this show that Jeff put on about John, and it was a fantastic, two-hour show that he did for about 100 people, and I said, ‘So Jeff, what’s happening with Chris?’ And he looks at me, goes, ‘Howard, Chris just died last week.’ ‘Really?’ I go, ‘Oh no.’ ”
Archive Photos/Getty
Johnny Carson and wife Jody Wolcott with their sons Christopher, Richard and Cory at their home in Encino, California, circa 1955.
The Tonight Show legend shared three sons with his first wife, Joan “Jody” Morrill Wolcott: Chris, born in 1950; Rick, born in 1951; and Cory, born in 1953. However, Rick died suddenly at the age of 39 in a car accident on June 21, 1991.
“Cory is still alive,” Smith noted. “But I don’t know. They don’t see anybody that much.”
As for his own relationship with Chris, Smith said they built a bond when he would join Johnny’s golf trips when he was younger.
“Chris was an avid golfer, and so when he used to come, he lived in Florida, Fort Lauderdale, when he used to come to visit his dad, he would bring his clubs, because I would take them,” he recalled. “We would play golf together, and John wouldn’t play golf. John did play golf at one time, but he would just ride along with us.”
Courtesy Everett
Christopher Carson
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Chris last made headlines in the 1980s after he and his long-term girlfriend, Tanena Love Green, welcomed a daughter, Christal Love Carson. They split shortly after and went through a very public court battle over child support.
The trial revealed that Chris was working as a golf instructor, and his primary financial support came from his father, who bought him cars and a home, along with $35,000 annually.
He and Cory both have stayed out of the spotlight since. After Johnny died in 2005, his loved ones highlighted his desire for his family to live a private life.
Sotzing even told PEOPLE at the time that sharing memories with the public “would be the last thing Johnny would want any of us to do. He wanted his work to speak for him. That is what he would want me to tell you. Let his work speak for him.”
Cory added of him and Chris: “We must have inherited the privacy gene.”
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