Tonight Show Johnny Carson and Beautiful Blonde Lady White Dress

The Hot Blonde

More famously known as the "Matinee Lady," Carol Wayne was a model and an actress who worked with Johnny Carson onThe Tonight Show. Her character had the personality of the trademark dumb blonde hottie, and to many, no one portrayed that role better than she did. Carol also had guest appearances onThe Red Skelton Show, portraying a similar role.

A year after her successful appearances onThe Tonight Show, Carol mysteriously passed away in 1985 at a resort in Mexico. The show kept Carol's character off the air for one year to pay tribute to the wonderful actress. A year after, the sketch went back on the air, with Teresa Ganzel taking on the role that was previously Carol's.

Carol's Questionable Choices

The Tonight Show's airtime was shortened from 90 minutes to 60 to make way for David Letterman's new show,Late Night With David Letterman. Due to this shorter time slot, some sketches had to go, and Carol's skit suddenly did not make the cut.

Her lack of a job made it difficult for Carol to cope financially and she reportedly became dependent on drugs and alcohol to manage her problems. She engaged in relationships with men of questionable honor, including Edward Durston, a car salesman. It was on a Mexico trip with Edward that Carol passed away. They reportedly had a fight which left Carol devastated.

Carol's Mysterious Demise

Three days after Carol and Ed's argument, a group of fishermen saw Carol's body floating in the Mexican bay. The water was very shallow – only four feet deep – so it was very unlikely that Carol had drowned. The autopsy also revealed that she did not have any alcohol or drugs in her body. To this day, the cause of her death is still a mystery.

It was the employees of the hotel that she and Ed stayed in that identified Carol's body, as Ed had already left Mexico. He was even reported to have left Carol's bags at the airport. While there is no substantial evidence to prove that Ed had something to do with Carol's death, many people are convinced that he was linked to the demise of Johnny's beloved sidekick.

Wayne's Death Linked to Linkletter?

Apart from Carol Wayne's death, Ed Durston apparently also had a link to another woman's death, that of Diane Linkletter. Dianne was the daughter of celebrity and TV icon Art Linkletter. Diane reportedly fell off an apartment building six-stories-high In 1969. According to Art, his daughter's demise was brought about by a flashback caused by her LSD addiction. After his daughter's death, Art ended his career in television to campaign about the harmful effects of drugs.

Interestingly, Art had recorded an album addressing the effects of drugs, to which Diane made a rebuttal album that went on to win a Grammy. What is more interesting, however, is that Diane's death might actually be connected to Carol's, as Ed Durston was also present the night Diane died. Even though Ed was never taken to court for these so-called accidents, one cannot think but to question his innocence in these mysterious deaths.

As I watch the great episodes of the Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson, I especially enjoy where Carson  plays his character of Art Fern and the Tea Time Movie. Johnny's original " Matinee Lady" was the voluptuous Carol Wayne who expertly portrayed the "dumb blonde" sex kitten.

Carol was eventually replaced after many years by actress Teresa Ganziel. I always wondered why. Thus,  I went to my old friend Google and thy questions were answered.

Here is a gossip filled report of her death. I have not fact checked this info so readers beware.  It is fascinating however.

Carol Wayne (September 6, 1942 – January 13, 1985) was a television actress most active in the 1960's and 1970's. She is perhaps best remembered for her re-occurring role as "The Matinee Lady" on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson. She was also a frequent guest on The Red Skelton Show, and had many appearances on other popular shows of the time.

Carol had spent many years perfecting the role of the "Ditzy Blonde Bombshell", and perhaps no one played the part better. She was so good at it that she seldom had an opportunity to play anything else.

The success of the Tonight Show, helped lead to her ultimate professional downfall. Johnny Carson began to push for a reduction in the shows run time from 90 minutes to 60, and while this was good news for the network, as it led to the creation of "Late Night With David Letterman" it led to her spot in the show being reduced drastically.

She was married several times, first to Rock and Roll photographer Barry Feinstein then later to TV and film producer Burt Sugarman.

Following the cuts in the Tonight Show she was having severe financial problems, and reportedly had fallen into drug and alcohol abuse. It has been rumored that toward the end of her life she had resorted to being an escort for rich men.

In January 1985, Wayne and her companion Edward Durston were vacationing at the Las Hadas Resort in Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico. After an argument with Durston, Wayne reportedly left to take a walk on the beach. Three days later a local fisherman found Wayne's body in the shallow bay.

Authorities later discovered Durston had checked out of the resort the day the couple argued. He had left Wayne's luggage at the airport. Later, an autopsy performed in Mexico revealed no signs of drugs or alcohol in Wayne's body. Her death was eventually ruled as "accidental".

Carol was deathly afraid of water, and would not have gone swimming. The water she was found in was only 4 feet deep.

According to published reports, Carol Wayne was on vacation in Santiago Bay, Mexico with Los Angeles car salesman Edward Durston on January 10, 1985 when (it has been reported) the couple had a argument about where they were going to stay that evening (they were scheduled to fly back to Los Angeles the next morning).

Durston checked into a hotel and Wayne reportedly left to walk down the beach (to cool off?). That was the last time anyone saw her alive. Local fisherman Abel de Dios found her limp body floating in the shallow bay waters three days later.

Mexican authorities wondered how Carol Wayne came to drown in waters four feet deep, fully clothed. There were no cuts or abrasions, so a fall from the nearby rocks was ruled out. The coroner stated that death occurred 3 – 4 days earlier and the body tested negative for drugs and alcohol.

Suspicions were raised: Carol Wayne had to be identified by workers at the Las Hadas resort where the couple had been staying earlier in the week. When locals went to look for Wayne's traveling companion, they discovered that Edward Durston checked out three days earlier – leaving Wayne's luggage at the airport with a message that she would pick up her bags in the morning.

As an aside, many readers may remember the (alleged) LSD related death of Art Linkletter's daughter Diane. She jumped (or fell) from a sixth floor apartment building in 1969.

Art Linkletter basically ended his successful television career when he started crusading against drugs with a fervor that made it hard for middle America to find the afternoon talk show host funny anymore.

Not that it necessarily means anything, but Diane Linkletter's companion the night she was killed was Edward Durston.

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Source: https://thelifeandtimesofhollywood.com/the-strange-death-of-johnny-carsons-hot-blonde-carol-wayne/

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