Former "Tonight Show" Musician Dies

A former member of Johnny Carson's Tonight Show band has died at age 78. Tommy Newsom was a jazz saxophonist and arranger who played with the Tonight Show band for three decades. Carson even had a nickname for him, "Mr. Excitement," a friendly ribbing about the musician's stoic expressions and somber apparel. On April 28, Newsom, who suffered from bladder and liver cancer, died in his home in Portsmouth, Virginia.

Newsom got a lot of good-natured teasing from Carson for his bland personality act. But despite all this, he was a great musician, having played with bands fronted by the likes of Charlie Byrd, Benny Goodman, and Vincent Lopez. Newsom once acknowledged that he made a good foil for Carson, referring to his onscreen personality as "cardboard cut-out."

Newsom is survived by his wife, Pat Hernansky Newsom, and his daughter, Candace Liebmann. A son, Mark, died in 2003.