Talk show legend Phil Donahue is dead at 88.
Donahue died on Sunday night following a long illness, his family told NBC’s “Today.” He was surrounded by his family, including his wife of 44 years, Marlo Thomas.
Donahue hosted “The Phil Donahue Show” from 1967 to 1996 and is considered an icon of the daytime talk show industry. Donahue, long dubbed “the king of daytime talk,” was the first to incorporate audience participation in a talk show.
He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Biden earlier this year.
TV HOST PHIL DONAHUE AND ACTRESS MARLO THOMAS’ FORMER $27M CONNECTICUT HOME COULD SET SALE RECORD
“Phil Donahue is a journalist and television pioneer who pioneered the daytime issue-oriented television talk show. Donahue was the first daytime talk show to feature audience participation and one of the most influential televisions programs of its time,” the White House said when Donahue was awarded the prestigious honor.
Donahue was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1935. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in business administration in 1957 and started his broadcasting career with various entry-level positions before joining Dayton’s WLWD television station in 1967.
Donahue won 20 Emmy Awards over his historic career, along with a Peabody in 1980. He regularly touched on hot-button issues, such as feminism, homosexuality, consumer protection and civil rights. Along the way, he interviewed everyone from Muhammed Ali and Ronald Reagan to John Wayne and Farrah Fawcett.
Donahue married Thomas on May 21, 1980, and in 2020 the couple released a book near their 40th anniversary titled, “What Makes Marriage Last: 40 Celebrated Couples Share with Us the Secrets to a Happy Life.”
In lieu of flowers, Donahue’s family asked that donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the Phil Donahue/Notre Dame Scholarship Fund, according to NBC.
This is a developing story, more to come…
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
