Ailing 81-year-old ex-wife of late TV legend JOHNNY CARSON claims she was sweet-talked into marrying a DOPE FIEND – and now he’s threatened to kill her!
Joanne Carson, whose nine-year marriage to the “Tonight” show icon ended in 1972 during the height of his career, suffers from multiple health problems and is confined to her home on a breathing apparatus.
In court papers obtained exclusively by The ENQUIRER, she claims her hubby Richard Rever, 56, wants her dead so he can grab her loot. Joanne received $100,000 a year in alimony from Carson and turned that into an estimated $30 million fortune through wise investments.
“Johnny would be spinning in his grave if he knew about the nightmare poor Joanne is going through,” said a close friend. “She raised his three boys from his first marriage and he loved her dearly.”
Joanne has slapped Rever with a restraining order, claiming that he has a long history of drug abuse. And when she asked him to sign a postnuptial agreement on Feb. 13, she claims he disconnected her oxygen tube and she nearly suffocated.
When Joanne tossed Rever out of her $10 million Bel-Air mansion, she says he left with at least $50,000 worth of her personal memorabilia, and racked up $16,000 in charges on her American Express card. Then, she claims, Rever telephoned her and said: “You are dead meat!”
Rever’s rep says Joanne’s claims are not true, her restraining order was never served and that she leveled the allegations against him because she was “very upset” when he filed for divorce.
But her pal said: “Joanne is terrified of Richard. She’s afraid that he’s after her money, and he won’t stop until she’s dead!”
