Hollywood’s honorary mayor, the endearing Johnny Grant who cheered on hundreds of actors as they immortalized their handprints in cement outside the Grauman's Chinese Theatre over the years, died Wednesday, Jan. 9, aged 84.

The lifelong supporter and promoter of Tinseltown died Wednesday evening apparently of natural causes, according to Officer Jason Lee. He was found on a bed in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, the officer added.

The 84-year-old radio personality and television producer, who remained a bachelor throughout his life, lived in a 14th-floor suite at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

Born in 1923 in Goldsboro, North Carolina, Grant made his show business debut as reporter for a radio station in 1939. He joined the U. S. Army in 1943 and during his service, hosted a special daily show over New York's WINS Radio, titled “Strictly GI,” which included news of interest to the troops but also interviews with entertainment stars of that period.

After his discharge, he came to Hollywood, which was to become his adopted hometown, where he continued his successful and extended career in show business. He had roles in “The Babe Ruth Story” (1948), which starred William Bendix, and in “White Christmas” (1954) with Bing Crosby.

Beginning in 1946, he was host of the game show “Stop the Clock,” which aired alternately on Dumont Television in New York City, WBGR-TV in Schenectady, N.Y. and WPTZ-TV in Philadelphia.

Along with Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra, Grant co-hosted the first national telethon ever produced, a fund-raiser to help send America's Olympic athletes to Helsinki in 1952.

He was one of the creators of the Arthritis Telethon and produced/co-hosted the show for two decades. He also served as producer and host of the United States Marine Corps Reserve's “Toys For Tots” Telethon for ten years.

In 1951, he made his first overseas trip to entertain the troops. A biography on his official website (www.johnnygrant.com) calls him “one of America's most enthusiastic, energetic and vocal supporters of the men and women of the United States Armed Forces.”

He was accompanied on his dozens of USO visits by celebrities such as Jane Russell, Debbie Reynolds, Jayne Mansfield, Rita Moreno, Ann Sheridan, Stephanie Powers and Julie Newmar.

The bio adds that he was also one of the first U. S. disc jockeys to intersperse traffic reports in between playing records and interviewing celebrities, during his 8-year stint at radio station KMPC in the 1950s.

Throughout the decades, he chatted with legendary figures such as Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Bing Crosby, Walt Disney, Tom Cruise and Frank Sinatra and was a friend to several presidents, including John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon, with President Reagan as one of his closest friends.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce named Grant Hollywood's honorary mayor in 1980, a position he held for the rest of his life. He used to say it was “the best job in town.”

He received his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1980 for his contributions to television and for his massive involvement in and support of the Hollywood community. The plaque is located in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre, between those of Zsa Zsa Gabor and his one-time Army Air Corps Commanding Officer, Glenn Miller.

In 2002, Grant was honored with a special, one-of-a-kind Walk of Fame star, bearing the Hollywood seal, and located at the entrance to the Kodak Theatre, and with a special dedication: the new street off Highland that leads into the Kodak Theatre was named “Johnny Grant Way.”

Full biography at http://www.johnnygrant.com/