Alan Kalter dies at 78: David Letterman, others pay tribute to TV veteran

Alan Kalter, who was the announcer on the Late Show with David Letterman for 20 years, has died at the age of 78. Rabbi Joshua Hammerman of Temple Beth El in Connecticut confirmed that Kalter died at a hospital on Monday. His wife Peggy and daughters were at his side when he died. 

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In a statement, David Letterman paid tribute to his colleague.

“When our announcer of 15 years Bill Wendell retired, producer Robert Morton came to my office with an audio tape containing auditions for several announcers. Alan’s was the first and only voice we listened to. We knew he would be our choice.

“Whatever else, we always had the best announcer in television. Wonderful voice and eagerness to play a goofy character of himself. Did I mention he could sing? Yes he could. He enthusiastically did it all. A very sad day, but many great memories,” the statement said. 

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Several others who worked on the show also paid tribute to the host. 

Calling the news” heartbreaking”, former Late Show writer Carter Bays, said, “To us Late Show writers Alan was so much more than just the ‘From New York…’ guy. He was our muse. We loved writing for him. Such a cheerful presence on the show. And around the office. Rest easy Big Red.”

Former Late Show writer Caissie St. Onge also paid tribute to Kalter, writing, “When I was at LS, the first lines I ever got on TV were From New Yorks & Man Whos. I started doing them before Alan joined us, but he instituted the policy of saying, ‘I enjoyed that one!’ to me. He made me feel legit.”