Peter Lassally, a late-night producer who worked with Johnny Carson on “The Tonight Show,” David Letterman on “The Late Show,” and Craig Ferguson on “The Late Late Show,” has died. He was 93 years old.
Mr. Lassally helped helm the biggest late-night series in history and was long known as the “Host Whisperer.” He worked with Mr. Carson until Mr. Carson’s retirement in 1992. He then teamed up with Letterman in hopes of taking over the “Tonight” spot, but was famously removed from the gig. Lassally, who joined Letterman’s Worldwide Pants Single at the time, was instrumental in Letterman’s decision to quit NBC and launch an entirely new “Late Show” franchise on CBS.
Under Letterman’s agreement with CBS, Worldwide Pants also aired “The Late Late Show” in the 12:37 a.m. slot. The show was executive produced by Lassally in its original run with Tom Snyder. Lasalley later semi-retired when Craig Kilborn took over the show, but when Craig Ferguson took over the show in 2005, Lasalley served as the show’s executive producer.
“Peter had two loves in his life that spanned more than half a century, the first with his beloved wife Alice, and the second with the world of talk TV,” said Michael Nydas, who co-starred with LasSally as showrunner on Ferguson’s The Late Late Show. “Each of those loves was a two-way street. Literally hundreds of millions of people owe their late night smiles and laughs to this beautiful soul, whose talent for identifying and developing extraordinary talent is unique and unparalleled.
“And all the while, Peter took so much joy in the moments he helped create that his smile was as ubiquitous as his daily sliced apple,” he added. “If I contributed anything to this format, it was because he was kind and patient with me. It’s traditional in situations like this to say, ‘We’re going to miss him,’ but the truth is, Peter was and is irreplaceable.”
Lassally retired in 2015 after Ferguson left the show, where he had overseen guest hosts before James Corden took over.
In a 2015 profile for Variety magazine, then-CBS Entertainment Chairman Nina Tassler described Lassally as a “strong, quiet type” with an unerring ability to “diagnose problems with surgical precision” and a nurturing attitude that brings out the best not only in the show’s staff, but also in the big-name talent and staff she has worked with. “He’s kind of an egoless guy,” Tassler said. “There’s a comfort that comes from not wanting or needing to be the center of attention.”
An NBC spokesperson said, “When Johnny Carson and David Letterman needed advice and honest opinions, they immediately went to Late Night Professor Peter Lassally. His relationships with these giants are invaluable, and he is credited with their success. They would undoubtedly say that his contribution was indescribably influential. A quiet man whose influence and stature spoke volumes, Peter’s genius was in shaping what we see and how we see it.” See why late nights mattered and still matter. ”
Lassally was born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1932 to a Jewish family, but was later forced to flee to the Netherlands due to the rise of Nazi Germany. While there, Lassally’s sister went to school with Anne Frank, and he, his mother and sister were imprisoned in the Westerbork transit camp and then in the Theresienstadt concentration camp. After surviving the Holocaust, Lassally and his family moved to New York in 1947.
Lasalley has been a part of television from the beginning, joining NBC’s Page program at the age of 19 and working as an usher at Radio City Music Hall with his friend Regis Philbin. He worked in radio and then moved to Arthur Godfrey’s popular show.
He joined “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” in the 1970s and rose to executive producer until Carson’s retirement. From there, he moved on to “Late Night with David Letterman” and helped found “The Late Show” with Letterman. (The series was later continued under Stephen Colbert, but recently ended after being abruptly canceled by CBS.)
Lassally’s final late-night act was to identify comedian Craig Ferguson (known at the time primarily for his role on Drew Carey) and transform him into a talk show host. Ultimately, as Ferguson grew into the role, it ended up being a unique late-night outpost that received critical acclaim.
Ferguson wrote on Instagram: “Peter Lasally was the best boss I ever had. His kindness, generosity and skill were incredible. He taught me how to do a job I was completely unqualified for and changed my life in immeasurable ways. I will always be grateful for what he did for me and my family. Thank you Peter.”
Lassally won two Emmy Awards over the years while discovering and nurturing multiple generations of talent.
He was predeceased by his wife, Alice Lassally, and is survived by his daughter, Andrea Gibbin (Chris Gibbin); his son, Tom Lassally (Romi Lassally) of 3 Arts; and his four grandchildren, Walker Gibbin, Eloise Gibbin, Annabelle Lassally and Owen Lassally.
