Doc Severinsen, left standing.

Johnny Carson (2005), Ed McMahon (2009), Tommy Newsom (2007) and now Ed Shaughnessy have died. Doc Severinsen is 85 years old, and was touring as recently as last year.

Carson, during his last show, in thanking Doc and the band, would lament TV's loss of the "last big swing band," saying, "To say that this band is not 'hip' is to not know the meaning of the word."