The Late Show's David Letterman Retires After 33 Years

David Letterman  retires from Late Night Show which he pioneered in 1982 till date of his retirement. He paid tribute to his wife, son and mother in an emotional and humble message that brought his glittering 33-year career to a close.

 The 68-year-old Late Show host spoke directly to wife Regina and son Harry (inset), who were sat in the audience, when he said: 'Thank you for being my family, and really, nothing else matters, does it.'

He also joked that his mother, when asked to appear on the show, said: 'You have a show?' It was a touching conclusion to a star-studded series finale, and 6,028 broadcasts, on Wednesday. He was ushered into retirement by four presidents, Presidents Obama, Bush, Bush and Clinton, who each declared 'our long national nightmare is over...

David Letterman is retiring' in a comically grand opening skit. The Top 10 featured messages from (left-right) Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Peyton Manning, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Chris Rock, Jim Carey, Jerry Seinfeld, Steve Martin, Barbara Walters, and Alec Baldwin. And millions of viewers were treated to archive footage of Letterman's best bits in one of the most lamented series finales in TV history.