text: At the Carson Tonight Show 10th-anniversary party on September 30, 1972, Carson announced that former model Joanna Holland and he had been secretly married that afternoon, shocking his friends and associates. On March 8, 1983, Holland filed for divorce. The divorce case finally ended in 1985 with an 80-page settlement, with Holland receiving $20 million in cash and property ().
  On June 20, 1987, Carson married Alexis Maas. The marriage lasted until his death in 2005.
  Carson reportedly joked, "My giving advice on marriage is like the captain of the Titanic giving lessons on navigation."
  Children
  Carson had three sons with his first wife: Christopher (Kit) born 1951; Richard (Ricky) born 1952; and Cory, born 1953. His middle son, Richard, died on June 21, 1991, when his car plunged down a steep embankment along a paved service road off Highway 1 near Cayucos, California. Apparently, Richard had been taking photographs when the accident occurred. On the first Tonight Show after his son's death, Carson paid tribute to Richard's photographic work by showing his nature slides, while Stevie Ray Vaughan's 1989 song "Riviera Paradise" played in the background. In addition, the final image of the show, as well as some "More to Come" bumpers, of Carson's last show on May 22, 1992, featured a photo Richard had taken.