Mr. Snyder had John Lennon's final televised interview, in April 1975, and U2's first US television appearance, in June 1981.
One of his most riveting interviews was with Charles Manson, who would go from a calm demeanor to that of a wild-eyed, insanity-spouting mass murderer and back again.
Another wacky moment came when Plasmatics lead singer Wendy O. Williams blew up a television in the studio; in another appearance she demolished a car.
In 1982, the show was canceled after a messy attempt to make it into a talk-variety show called "Tomorrow Coast to Coast." It added a live audience and cohostess Rona Barrett, all of which Mr. Snyder clearly disdained.
The time slot was taken over by a young comedian named David Letterman.
"Tom was the very thing that all broadcasters long to be -- compelling," David Letterman, whose production company produced the show that marked Mr. Snyder's return to late-night TV in the 1990s, said in a statement yesterday. "Whether he was interviewing politicians, authors, actors, or musicians, Tom was always the real reason to watch."
CNN talk-show host Larry King said in a statement: "Tom Snyder was one of a kind; he had a unique personality. He changed anchoring in television news; his approach was like no one else."
Born in Milwaukee, Mr. Snyder began his career as a radio reporter in his hometown in the 1960s and then moved into local TV, anchoring newscasts in Philadelphia, New York, and Los Angeles before moving to late night.
Al Primo, a former TV news director who gave Mr. Snyder one of his first TV jobs, said Mr. Snyder was the "ultimate communicator," able to look directly into a camera and tell viewers a story without looking at notes.
As an interviewer, Mr. Snyder "always used to tell me, I listen to what they're saying and I ask the questions that the average guy would want to ask, not a formulated question," Primo said.
On "Tomorrow," Mr. Snyder's catch phrase: "Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures now, as they fly through the air."
