Inside David Letterman And Alan Kalter's Friendship

On the heels of "Late Show with David Letterman" announcer Alan Kalter's death, many are remembering the fond times they shared with the big on-air personality, including legendary television host David Letterman himself. "Whatever else, we always had the best announcer in television," Letterman remembered warmly in a statement (via Variety). "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," Letterman added. "A very sad day, but many great memories."

According to the late-night talk show host, the decision to make Alan Kalter the announcer for his show was a no-brainer. "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," Letterman gushed.

Fortunately, Kalter dove head first into the new gig with Letterman and the rest is simply history. Keep reading to learn everything we know about Letterman and Kalter's on and off-air friendship.

As reported by the New York Post, Alan Kalter and David Letterman first met when Kalter was working as the announcer on the popular game show "The $25,000 Pyramid." At that point in his career, Kalter had made certain that he stayed strictly behind the cameras, but once he made the jump to the "Late Show with David Letterman", all of that changed as he went to star in several bits on the show, always garnering an approving smile or laugh from Letterman.

During a 2015 appearance on CBS' "Lunch with Alan" segment, Kalter spoke candidly about his first day on the new job. "Dave, he's got a sense of humor," he declared. "He said, 'We have an Olympic high diver and she's going to jump into a pool on 53rd street, and Alan, do you swim?' And I went, 'Yeah.' And he took my hand and he brought me out to the pool and he said, 'Test the water,' and I'm floating on my back, looking up at the camera and going, this is what it's like to announce on Letterman. This is going to be fun."

All pool hijinks aside, it appears that Alan Kalter always had his long-time famous employer's back. While comedian and television host David Letterman has often been criticized for his demeanor and the way in which he treated subordinates on the set of "Late Show with David Letterman," Kalter was quick to rush to Letterman's defense. 

"He's a perfectionist," Kalter explained in a 2015 interview with the New York Post. "He keeps the people that are doing the job they were hired to do. He's very complimentary when you do a good job," he declared. It should be noted that Kalter enjoyed a particularly long run with the iconic comedian, working as Letterman's announcer for 20 years until the show's finale episode on May 20, 2015. "Every one of us goes through a terrible time once in a while, before 3 o'clock or 4 o'clock. No matter what my day is like — 4:30-5:30 I laugh; I smile. Every day he makes me do that," Kalter famously told CBS about the joy announcing for the show brought him. 

Our heartfelt condolences go out to all of Kalter's family and friends during this difficult time.