Many of Hollywood's top entertainers who credit TV legend Johnny Carson for launching their careers paid tribute to the former late-night talk show host, who died Sunday of emphysema.

Carson, who hosted the Tonight Show from 1962 to 1992, was 79.

"All of us who came after are pretenders. We will not see the likes of him again," said David Letterman, host of CBS's Late Show.

Johnny Carson watching clips from past shows on his last day with the "The Tonight Show," May 22, 1992. (CP File Photo)

Carson was credited for launching the careers of a number of comedians, including Letterman, Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Cosby and Joan Rivers, many of whom paid tribute to the former king of late night.

"He gave me a shot on his show and in doing so, gave me a career," Letterman said. "A night doesn't go by that I don't ask myself, 'What would Johnny have done?'''

"Johnny was responsible for the beginning and the rise of success for more performers than anyone," Cosby said in a statement. "I doubt if those numbers will ever be surpassed."

Rivers, who for a time was Carson's permanent guest host, said he made her the first woman to host a late-night talk show.

"A lot of us who couldn't get on television, Johnny brought us on,'' said Rivers, whose relationship with Carson soured after she went on to host her own talk show.

Carson put Americans to bed for 30 years with his jokes, comedy skits and interviews with guests.

He skewered politicians with his monologues, but his private life – four marriages and three divorces – was also fodder for his wit.

U.S. President George W. Bush described Carson as "a steady and reassuring presence in homes across America for three decades" who "had a profound influence on American life and entertainment."

His former sidekick Ed McMahon said Sunday that Carson was "like a brother to me."

"When we ended our run on The Tonight Show and my professional life continued, whenever a big career decision needed to be made, I always got the OK from 'The Boss,"' McMahon said.

Carson left the show when it was high in the ratings in May 1992. "I am one of the lucky people in the world. I found something that I always wanted to do and I have enjoyed every single minute of it," he said in his last show.

Comedian Jay Leno, who took over the reins, said "no single individual has had as great an impact on television as Johnny. He was the gold standard."

Many other comics had tried to displace him as America's favourite late-night host, but none succeeded.

Carson made a fortune as a TV host, being paid a reported $5 million US a year in the 1980s.

He retired quietly, sailing, travelling and writing occasional humour pieces for the New Yorker magazine. He never went back to TV, and was satisfied to let the Tonight Show stand as the peak of his career.

But it was recently revealed that he continued to send in the odd joke to Letterman, who would incorporate them into his monologue.

Carson was born in Iowa and grew up in Nebraska. After military service, he worked as a broadcaster in Nebraska, moving to Los Angeles in 1950. He had a series of Hollywood on-air jobs, including hosting a game show, and sitting in occasionally for Tonight Show host Jack Paar. When Paar left in 1962, NBC picked Carson to replace him.

There will not be a memorial service.