Christopher Carson, the eldest son of late TV legend Johnny Carson, has passed away at the age of 74.
The news was quietly revealed by Carson family friend Howard Smith during a recent episode of the Nostalgia Tonight podcast, hosted by Joe Sibilia. According to Smith, he learned of Christopher’s death two months ago from Johnny’s nephew, Jeff Sotzing.
“When John died, I tried to stay in touch with Chris,” Smith recalled. “I had moved to a new place near Fort Lauderdale and found out Chris was a member at the golf club I joined. I kept trying to reach him, but he never got back to me.”
Smith said he ran into Sotzing at a tribute event for Johnny and asked about Chris — only to be blindsided by the response. “He looked at me and said, ‘Howard, Chris just died last week.’ I was shocked.”
Johnny Carson, best known as the iconic host of The Tonight Show, shared three sons with his first wife, Joan “Jody” Wolcott: Chris, born in 1950; Rick, born in 1951; and Cory, born in 1953. Rick tragically died in a car crash at age 39 in 1991.
“Cory is still alive,” Smith added. “But they don’t see many people. The family’s always kept a low profile.”
Chris made headlines in the late 1980s during a public court battle over child support with his then-girlfriend, Tanena Love Green, after the birth of their daughter, Christal Love Carson. Court documents at the time revealed that Chris was working as a golf instructor and relied heavily on financial support from his famous father — including cars, a house, and an annual allowance of $35,000.
Outside of those headlines, both Chris and Cory largely stayed out of the limelight, following their father’s preference for privacy. When Johnny passed away in 2005, family members made it clear he had no interest in posthumous fanfare.
“Johnny wouldn’t want us talking about him,” Sotzing told PEOPLE after Carson’s death. “He wanted his work to speak for him. That’s what he would want me to tell you.”
Chris was an avid golfer who shared a bond with Smith on the greens. “We used to play when he visited his dad,” Smith said. “Johnny didn’t play but loved riding along.”
Though his life was touched by fame, Christopher Carson chose a quieter path — and now, his death marks another somber chapter in the story of a legendary yet deeply private American family.