( CNN ) -- When it came to second bananas , Ed McMahon was second to none . Ed McMahon turned being a sidekick into art . McMahon , known to generations of Americans through `` Tonight , '' `` Star Search , '' `` TV 's Bloopers and Practical Jokes '' and as a commercial pitchman , died Tuesday . He was 86 . For 30 years on the `` Tonight Show '' -- and several years more beforehand -- he was Johnny Carson 's trusty sidekick , introducing him , feeding him straight lines , making the guests comfortable on the couch . It was a job that generally aimed the spotlight at Carson , the host . But it made McMahon a star nonetheless . `` He was a star in his own right . Being a sidekick did n't mean he was any less , '' Doc Severinsen , the longtime `` Tonight '' bandleader , told CNNRadio . `` Johnny defined what the host should be and Ed defined what the sidekick was . '' David Letterman , whose `` Late Night '' followed Carson 's show on NBC from 1982 to 1993 , said in a statement : `` Ed McMahon 's voice at 11:30 was a signal that something great was about to happen . Ed 's introduction of Johnny was a classic broadcasting ritual -- reassuring and exciting . Ed was a true broadcaster , and an integral part of Johnny Carson 's 'Tonight Show . ' We will miss him . '' Gallery : Ed McMahon through the years » . McMahon , known to generations of Americans through `` Tonight , '' `` Star Search , '' `` TV 's Bloopers and Practical Jokes '' and as a commercial pitchman , died Tuesday . He was 86 . While Carson could be insular and shy off camera , McMahon was always possessed of an outsized , hail-fellow-well-met attitude , comedian Joan Rivers -- a frequent `` Tonight '' guest and guest host -- told CNN . `` I remember him with great affection , and I remember him [ as ] very solid whenever I hosted the show . ... When you needed him , he was a rock . A real rock , '' recalled Rivers . `` He went beyond the 'Tonight Show ' and had his own identity and America liked him very much . He was a good guy . He was the neighbor . '' Watch Rivers ' memories of McMahon » . Dick Clark -- who really was McMahon 's neighbor in 1950s Philadelphia , when Clark hosted `` American Bandstand '' and McMahon was a local TV star -- remembered his `` Bloopers '' co-host as a man with `` a really big heart . '' `` Fifty years ago , Ed and I were next-door neighbors . Over the years , our friendship grew while he became one of America 's favorite television personalities , '' he said in a statement . `` We were together for years . Ed was a big man , had big talent and a really big heart . We 'll all miss him . '' Rivers remembers McMahon as someone who was always willing to reach out . After she left the Carson show -- which she had hosted frequently in Johnny 's absence -- for her own late-night show , she remembered becoming persona non grata with many in Hollywood . But not McMahon . `` Ed McMahon always , whenever he would come in a restaurant or see me anywhere , would make it his business to come over and say hello , '' Rivers said . `` And that was going against , quote-unquote , 'boss ' orders . ' `` Watch McMahon recall the invention of `` Carnac the Magnificent '' » . The boss , however , knew his sidekick 's value . In vaudeville vernacular , a `` second banana '' was the guy who played off the star comedian ( the `` top banana '' ) . He was the straight man , the set-up guy , the performer who smoothed the way and occasionally got in his own line , all in the service of the lead . And few were better than McMahon . `` Ed was the best at what he did and will never be replaced , '' said Don Rickles , a longtime friend , in a statement . `` Another giant is gone . ''
Ed McMahon , who died Tuesday , was known as a sidekick -- but also a `` star '' His outgoing public persona was in contrast to that of his boss , Johnny Carson . `` Tonight '' bandleader Doc Severinsen : `` Ed defined what the sidekick was '' Joan Rivers : `` When you needed him , he was a rock ''