"The Late Great Johnny Ace" is a song by Paul Simon, which appears on his 1983 Hearts and Bones album.
The song initially sings of the rhythm and blues singer Johnny Ace, who is said to have shot himself in a game of Russian roulette in 1954 (eyewitness accounts say otherwise). Simon goes on to reference former Beatle John Lennon, who was murdered on December 8, 1980, as well as referencing John F. Kennedy who was assassinated in 1963, the year Beatlemania started.
The album version features a sad one-minute coda composed by Phillip Glass, performed with strings, clarinet, and flute; the aria resembles Glass' own Pruit Igoe from Koyaanisqatsi. This reflects the sad mood of the song.
The 2004 reissue of Hearts and Bones also contains a solo acoustic demo of the song.
The song was first performed live by Paul Simon during the Simon & Garfunkel reunion concert in Central Park in 1981. Near the end of the performance (possibly in response to Simon mentioning John Lennon's death), an audience member rushed the stage, causing Simon to pull away from the microphone. The man was quickly pulled away by security and was heard yelling "I gotta talk to you, I gotta talk to you." Simon was clearly shaken—especially as the lyrics deal with assassinations—but he continued the song without a break. The performance was included in the subsequent video release of the concert but was omitted from the live album.
In an interview on Late Night with David Letterman on May 20, 1982, Simon discussed the Central Park experience with Letterman. Asked to sing the song and using a spontaneously loaned guitar, Simon performed from his chair instead of taking the stage. The director cut to a commercial before the end of the song because one of the strings on the guitar broke, and Simon commented he "will never do that one again." However, he did later perform the song in Osaka , Japan on August 5 , 1982 , along the Simon And Garfunkel's Tour . Also on Saturday Night Live on November 22, 1986, the 23rd anniversary of Kennedy's assassination. He also performed the song on the 2000 "You're The One" tour, preceding it with part of the Johnny Ace hit "Pledging My Love". This features on the DVD recorded in Paris.