LOS ANGELES — Ed McMahon, former sidekick to Johnny Carson on “Tonight” and a familiar TV-commercial pitchman, was hospitalized in intensive care, and a person close to him said Friday that McMahon has bone cancer.
Spokesman Howard Bragman said McMahon, 85, had been hospitalized for several weeks for treatment of pneumonia and other ailments. He declined to identify the Los Angeles facility.
“It’s serious,” Bragman said when asked about McMahon’s condition, noting his age. But, Bragman added, “We’re hopeful.”
A person close to McMahon, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the illnesses included bone cancer.
McMahon had broken his neck in a fall in 2007. He faced foreclosure on his home last year because he said the injury left him unable to work, but a deal was announced in December that would allow him to stay in the house.
