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Paradox of the late Johnny Carson--who passed away January 23 at his Malibu, Calif., home at the age of 79--was that his visible Tonight Show (1962-1992) persona contrasted with his very private one off screen. We know of three long-form profiles that each got to the soul of Carson at different stages of his career. All are posted on the magazines' respective Web sites.
1. December 1967 Playboy interview by a pre-Roots Alex Haley;
2. February 20, 1978, The New Yorker, Fifteen Years of the Salto Mortale, by...