Johnny Carson’s Last (Massive!) Generous Act

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New documents uncovered by The Smoking Gun show the legendary Tonight Show host earmarked a whopping $156 million for philanthropy shortly before his death in 2005.

The donation made the John W. Carson Foundation the largest philanthropy in Hollywood. Carson made the donation without any public notification; The Smoking Gun only found the figure by digging into the foundation’s tax return, filed in May of this year. Carson gave generously to his foundation in the years prior to his death, but in million-dollar chunks — not the massive figure given shortly before his death.

The foundation’s work benefits hospitals, children’s groups and foundations in Carson’s home state of Nebraska. (via The Smoking Gun)