Legendary TV talker Phil Donahue has died following a lengthy illness, his family has announced.
The host of The Phil Donahue Show passed away at the age of 88 on Sunday, while surrounded by relatives, including his actress wife Marlo Thomas, at his home.
A talk-show trailblazer, his program was the first of its kind, including now commonplace concepts like audience participation.
It ran for nearly 30 years, solidifying the onetime news reporter’s place in the annals of TV history.
Donahue had recently been awarded the presidential medal of freedom for his storied career.
Legendary TV talker Phil Donahue has died following a lengthy illness, his family confirmed Sunday. He is seen here at the American Icon Awards in Beverly Hills in 2019
The host of the famed The Phil Donahue Show, he oversaw the program for 29 seasons, during which time he introduced several concepts now commonplace today, like audience participation. The show ran from 1967 to 1996
Donahue had been married to Thomas for the past 44 years, after he had already fathered five children. His youngest, Honolulu lawyer James Donahue, died from an unexpected aneurysm almost ten years ago to the day, at age 51
Donahue is survived by his wife sister, children, and grandchildren, all of whom were by his side Sunday night when he passed, their statement said.
Also present was his beloved golden retriever, Charlie, as the illness he had been battling remains unknown.
Just last month, wife Marlo, an 86-year-old actress, posted a photo of the icon on Instagram, as he stood on a farm in Canada where to feed a horse.
Unlike the ceremony with Joe Biden, he stood on his own accord with the aid of a cane, looking health and happy in the idyllic setting.
The shot was snapped at least a year-and-half ago, during filming for Hallmark’s A Magical Christmas Village, which featured Thomas in a starring role.
The actress thus remembered the occasion with a loving caption, writing to her 145,000 followers, Here’s a favorite shot of Phil in the morning feeding the horses near the house where we were staying in Canada.
‘A lovely way to start the day!’ she concluded, posting the photo on July 12.
Posts since then have not featured her husband, aside from another throwback published three weeks ago of the couple back in the summer of 2009.
Just last month, wife Marlo, an 86-year-old actress and producer, posted a photo of the icon on Instagram, as he stood on a farm in Canada
Unlike a ceremony a few weeks before at the White House with Joe Biden, he stood on his own accord with the aid of a cane. Biden awarded him the presidential medal of freedom on May 3 following his impressive career
Roughly five years after that photograph was taken, tragedy would strike the couple in the form of the death of his youngest son, 51-year-old James ‘Jim’ Donahue.
A lawyer in Honolulu born from Donahue’s first marriage to Marge Cooney, he died unexpectedly as a result of an aortic aneurysm, or a bulge in the main artery of the heart.
He and his siblings had spent much of their childhood in Dayton when their father’s broadcast career was taking off, before leaving behind an indelible mark.
The White House remembered some of his accomplishments back in May following a ceremony that saw Donahue except the hallowed award while seated in a wheelchair.
‘Phil Donahue is a journalist and television pioneer who pioneered the daytime issue-oriented television talk show,’ the statement said.
‘Donahue was the first daytime talk show to feature audience participation and one of the most influential television programs of its time.’
Such honors saw him commonly dubbed the ‘king of daytime talk’, paving the way for countless figures since to follow suit.
His show’s format set it apart from the pack of the notoriously traditional 60s, becoming a trendsetter in the field while appealing more than his forebears had to a female audience.
His decades in the host seat saw him dubbed the ‘king of daytime talk’, paving the way for countless figures since to follow suit. He is seen here interviewing his eventual wife Marlo in 1977, before they would eventually marry
‘Phil and I met on his talk show, “Donahue,” in 1977,’ Thomas wrote at the time, recalling ‘the instant chemistry. She added: ‘He flirted, I giggled, and his TV audience watched us fall in love.’ The pair would go on to marry in 1980
The show, moreover, was known for being more poised to tackle hot-button social issues as they emerged, seen in spade when Donahue featured atheist Madalyn Murray O’Hair as his first guest in 1967.
The show would go on to be syndicated three years later, running for a total of 26 more seasons.
In 1977, he would host the actress he would eventually marry in Thomas – a meeting she remembered with a Facebook post in 2015, where she recalled how there ‘was instant chemistry’ between the two.
‘Phil and I met on his talk show, “Donahue,” in 1977,’ Thomas wrote at the time.
‘He flirted, I giggled, and his TV audience watched us fall in love.’
The couple would go on to marry in 1980.
Meanwhile, his show continued, hosting big names such as Bill Clinton, Muhammad Ali, Johnny Carson, Ayn Rand, and Nelson Mandela.
He would also go on to win 20 Emmys – 10 for outstanding host, and 10 for the overall show.
They were together for more than 40 years, during which time they paid a visit to the Texas couple – the world oldest living spouses at the time – to ring in their 80th anniversary
HGis show featured spots with famous figures like Bill Clinton, not to mention Muhammad Ali, Johnny Carson, Ayn Rand, and Nelson Mandela
Ali, and fellow boxers Joe Frazier, Larry Holmes, and Ken Norton are seen during a particularly memorable segment aired in November 1989, called Champions Forever
Fellow TV talker Carson is seen on the show during its earlier days, circa 1970
Oprah Winfrey – who is worth more than $3billion after following in the footsteps of Donahue – famously said in 2002: ‘If there had been no Phil Donahue show, there would be no Oprah Winfrey’
Over the course of his career, Donahue won 20 Emmys – 10 for outstanding host and 10 for the overall show
Tributes are now beginning to pour in for the seminal star, who set an example for figures as far-ranging Oprah Winfrey, Geraldo Rivera, and Sally Jesse Raphael.
Winfrey – who is worth more than $3billion – famously said in 2002: ‘If there had been no Phil Donahue show, there would be no Oprah Winfrey.’
One of the greats, his family remembered him in their statement as ‘Groundbreaking’, while saying, ‘[He] passed away peacefully.’
