Comedian David Brenner, <em>Tonight Show</em> Fixture, Dies At 78

David Brenner, a legendary comedian who holds the record for most appearances on The Tonight Show, died on Saturday. According to his publicist, he had been battling cancer. He was 78.

Brenner was a favorite of Johnny Carson; he made his first appearance on The Tonight Show in January 1971, and went on to appear 158 times. In a recent interview on "CBS This Morning," Brenner recalled Carson's explanation as to why he was asked to perform stand-up on the show so often: "He said, ‘Because I like to sit back, smoke a cigarette and laugh for six minutes.'"

Brenner was known as one of the forefathers of observational comedy. "To me, historically, he was the godfather of ‘hip, observational comedy,’" said Richard Lewis. "He mentored me from Day 1. He was family to me in the deepest, most supportive sense. His passing leaves a hole in my life that can never be replaced."

In addition to his many Tonight Show appearances, Brenner also penned several books and starred in four stand-up specials for HBO. He is survived by three children and his third wife, pairs skating champion Tai Babilonia.

You can watch one of his comedy specials, "Back With A Vengeance," below.