Alan Kalter, the announcer for The Late Show With David Letterman for two decades, died Monday at Stamford Hospital in Connecticut. He was 78.

His wife, Peggy, and his daughters Lauren Hass and Diana Binger were with him when he died. Among his survivors are his brother, Gary, and nephews Jonathan Kalter of The MGMT Company and Daniel Kalter.

Kalter joined the Letterman show after the retirement of Bill Wendell in 1995 and continued until Letterman called it a day in May 2015.

His voice opened the evening, usually with a sardonic comment, the list of guests and the pronouncement “from New York, the greatest city in the world.” He would also appear in comedic bits; among his best known were moments of faux outrage that saw him storming off the stage and as host of "Alan Kalter’s Celebrity Interview," which found him attacking Letterman with witty, venomous insults.

Letterman said in a statement that after 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.”

Darlene Love, who sang on the show annually for Christmas, posted on Facebook: “Was an honor to have this beautiful and handsome gentleman Alan Kalter announce my name with his iconic voice every Christmas from 1995-2015 on The Late Show With David Letterman. He was a warm, funny man and a staple at The Ed Sullivan Theatre who will be greatly missed. Rest in peace, my love, and when it's my time to join you up in the sky, I'll be waiting for you to announce my name to the angels in heaven.”

Besides The Late Show, Kalter was the announcer on To Tell the Truth, The $25,000 Pyramid and other game shows, as well as a voiceover actor for radio and television commercials. We send our condolences to his loved ones.