One of America’s most beloved television celebrities, Johnny Carson—may he forever rest in peace—left millions to charity, as this article from Smoking Gun reveals.
An excerpt.
“AUGUST 9--In an unprecedented act of celebrity philanthropy, the charitable foundation created by Johnny Carson has reported receiving $156 million from a personal trust established by the entertainer years prior to his January 2005 death, The Smoking Gun has learned.
“The nine-figure transfer from the late entertainer’s estate was disclosed in a tax return filed three months ago by the John W. Carson Foundation, records show. The massive bequest leaves the Carson foundation with assets dwarfing the largest Hollywood charities--even the foundation run by entertainment titan David Geffen, whose organization listed assets of $80 million on its most recent tax return.
“In a tax return received by the Internal Revenue Service in mid-May, the Carson foundation disclosed its receipt of $35.2 million in cash and $121.2 million in securities and royalty rights from the John W. Carson Trust. The IRS return, excerpted at left, covers the fiscal year ending last June.
“Previous tax returns, including those filed when Carson was alive, show that his trust regularly provided funds to the foundation, which then used the money to give grants to a variety of organizations. But those prior transfers from the Carson trust, which was established in 1988, were usually between $1 and $2 million.
“There has never been a public accounting of Carson’s estate, so there is no way of knowing its total value, beneficiaries, or what percentage the $156 million represents. The former “Tonight Show” host, who died of emphysema at age 79, was survived by his fourth wife, Alexis, and two sons from his first marriage.
“The extremely private comedian did little to publicize his philanthropy, which included hefty donations to environmental groups, AIDS charities, schools, children’s aid organizations, and not-for-profits in Nebraska, where he grew up.”
About
- David H. Lukenbill
- I am a California native, married, we have one daughter and live close to the American River with two cats and all the wild critters we can feed. I am a management consultant to nonprofit organizations and have an Associates of Arts degree in Administration of Justice from Sacramento City College, a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Behavior from the University of San Francisco and a Master of Public Administration degree, also from the University of San Francisco.