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Sam Harris pays tribute to his “Star Search” host Ed McMahon: “He made everything look incredibly simple and easy and fun”
Unlike Joan Rivers, singer Sam Harris managed to stay on the high road when paying tribute to the late Ed McMahon (Joan ripped on Johnny Carson after praising McMahon in an MSNBC interview Monday).
The openly gay Harris, a gifted singer and actor, is forever tied to McMahon as the first season winner of Star Search. While Ed is obviously best known for his decades as Carson’s sidekick, he also had a huge success as host of the long-running talent competition which was in many ways the American Idol of its day launching not only Harris but also Rosie O’Donnell and Sinbad.
In this video tribute to McMahon, we see video of Harris and McMahon from the show and Sam warmly remembers the man who he considers to be the grandfather he never had.
“He had a really great, full, long wonderful life but it is still so sad,” Sam says. “What a dear, amazing man. He was hugely, hugely transformational in my life. Obviously Star Search changed my life and gave me the television platform that we now know on American idol. That kind of thing you can’t buy. Ed McMahon was somebody that made everything look so simple … What he he did as Johnny Carson’s sidekick and as host of Star Search and other things he hosted was that he made everything look incredibly simple and easy and fun. But what he did was very, very difficult. He was the master.”
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Michael Hall says:
Just the other day I was going through my albums and cassets and put the album on my turntable and begin to reminice. Immediately I thought what ever happened to Sam?? I mean this guy had the greatest voice bar none. Anyway, I was asking my wife if she remem-bered Sam Harris? Of course she said “well ya!” We have played your album and casset for 2 days,and Sam, I just don’t get tired of hearing your voice. I also asked my wife, I wonder if he has come out with any new CD’s and we just got onto your website and noticed that you have 2 more that I don’t have, but believe me I will be out to the music stores shopping. I don’t know if it is the area we live in (Redding, CA) but we just don’t hear anything about you. I am so thrilled to hear about all your other endeavors, such as writing, producing, broadway. There was never a doubt that you were extrememly talented and that you would go much farther than Star Search, and that is what was confusing to me…I thought you were gone. Keep up the good work. We would love to see you in concert on the public channel some time soon. Have you done public TV yet? Better yet…how about putting on a concert in Redding, CA. We have a great convention center here and I know it would be a standing room only concert. Again, best of luck to you and keep up the great work and never give up. Sincerely, Michael and Nancy Hall