David Letterman “is not someone who likes to draw attention to himself,” according to Late Show executive producer Rob Burnett.
Within moments of the TV host’s announcement on Thursday afternoon that he’ll step down in 2015, that’s exactly what happened: Social media and the blogosphere lit up with an outpouring of top Letterman show memories, teary ‘say it ain’t so, Dave’ tweets and nonstop chatter from Late Show lovers.
There was also a flurry of humorous tweets, including this one:
#Dave @Letterman finally began writing for his Twitter feed on Monday; by Thursday, fed up enough to retire from TV?! http://t.co/Nrfyz0vJhb
— Sean L. McCarthy (@thecomicscomic) April 3, 2014
For everyone who hungers for just a little more on Dave before he goes off the air, here’s a top ten list of Letterman lore:
- He was born in Indianapolis on April 12, 1947, the son of Harry, a florist, and Dorothy, a church secretary, and studied radio and TV at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.
- While working as a TV weatherman, he reportedly upset the network brass when he congratulated a tropical storm on being upgraded to a hurricane.
- In 1975, Letterman moved to L.A. and wrote material for popular sitcoms, including Good Times. His big break came when he began appearing on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson; he’s called Carson his mentor.
- In 1978, he became Carson’s regular guest host. Two years later he was offered his own show, the daytime David Letterman Show. The show lasted just three months but was such a success it convinced NBC-TV to give Letterman his own late-night show following Carson’s.
SLIDESHOW: 12 Iconic Moments from David Letterman
- After NBC chose Jay Leno instead of Letterman to replace the retiring Carson in 1993, Letterman moved to CBS, signing a lucrative deal to host The Late Show with David Letterman and airing opposite The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
- Late Night with David Letterman became a hit with young audiences by combining the usual talk-show ingredients of celebrity guests and music with Letterman's irreverent humor and comic stunts. Iconic show segments include The Top Ten List, Stupid Pet Tricks (along with Stupid Human Tricks), Viewer Mail and the Letterman pencils flung with reckless abandon at the camera and at the set behind him.
- In 1993 Letterman founded his own production company, Worldwide Pants, Inc., which has produced the Letterman show ever since. Among other shows, it produced the award-winning CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond.
- Late Show with David Letterman won the Emmy for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series 6 times. It’s been nominated 16 seasons in a row.
- In 1996 Letterman made TV Guide’s list of 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time, ranking 45th.
- Letterman earned an estimated $40 million in 2007, ranking number 17 on the Forbes list of richest men in entertainment. In 2009 Forbes listed him as No. 14 on its list of most powerful entertainment personalities. He's worth $400 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
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