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As networks assemble tribute specials and revisit decades of footage, a different portrait is emerging: not just the host who guided viewers through talent shows and New Year’s countdowns, but the mentor who quietly coached nervous newcomers during commercial breaks, the philanthropist who built studios in children’s hospitals so young patients could feel like stars. For millions, his voice was a daily ritual; for those who knew him, his absence is a private earthquake. In an industry built on constant noise, his sudden silence feels impossibly loud.
