Johnny Carson’s third wife, model Joanna Carson, dead at 93
Johnny Carson’s third wife, Joanna Carson, has died at age 93.
The model’s death was announced privately in July, with an intimate funeral ceremony being held last week, Extra reports.
Joanna was married to the “Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” host from 1972 to 1985.
Her death was acknowledged by the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation in a heartfelt social media post Wednesday.
“Remembering ETAF’s dear friends and supporters, Joanna Carson and Wallis Annenberg, who embodied our Founder, Elizabeth Taylor’s spirit of love and support,” the foundation wrote on Facebook.
The Post has reached out to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation for comment.
Joanna, who was one of NYC’s highest-paid fashion models at the time, met the late talk show host in 1971 at a restaurant in the Big Apple.
Later that year, Johnny divorced his second wife, Joanne Copeland. Meanwhile, Joanna was single after divorcing her first husband Tim Holland, to whom she was married from 1960 to 1966. The pair shared a son, who died in 1994.
According to a 1978 New Yorker article, Johnny announced his marriage to Joanna while celebrating his 10th anniversary at the “Tonight Show” in September that year.
The pair were married for a decade until separating in 1982. They ultimately divorced in 1985 after reaching a $20 million settlement.
During their contentious divorce, Joanna had asked the judge to be awarded a monthly sum of $220,000 from Johnny. However, was ultimately granted $35,000 a month under the terms of the agreement, the Los Angeles Times reported at the time.
She was also given the couple’s Bel Air home, as well as several apartments in New York City on top of famous artworks, including Picassos.
Prior to his ill-fated union with Joanna, Johnny married his first wife, Joan “Jody” Morrill Wolcott, on Oct. 3, 1949, and the two divorced in 1963, after 14 years of marriage.
The pair shared three sons. They welcomed Chris in 1950, son Rick the following year, and Cory in 1953. However, Rick had died in a car accident in 1991 at age 39.
Johnny’s final marriage was to Alexis Maas in 1987. The duo remained together until his death in January 2005 at age 79.
Joanna’s death comes just weeks after it was revealed that Johnny’s son, Christopher Carson, had died earlier this year. He was 74.
His death was confirmed by his father’s longtime friend Howard Smith, however, no cause of death was given.
Credit to Nypost AND Peoples
