Daytime talk show host Phil Donahue with audience members in Chicago; February 18, 1980. Martha Hartnett, Los Angeles Times via Wikimedia Commons.
Daytime talk show legend Phil Donahue passed away at his home on the Upper East Side on Sunday at the age of 88. Donahue’s cause of death was not immediately disclosed, but his family said he had been suffering from a “long illness,” according to a statement quoted by NBC News.
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He is survived by Marlo Thomas, his wife of 44 years who is an actress, producer and author, as well as his children and grandchildren.
Thomas shared a statement on her Instagram page, adding that she will be stepping back from the platform for a while.
“But I didn’t want to disappear without saying thank you for the beautiful messages of love and support that have been coming in all day, and for the wonderful and generous way that you’ve let Phil and me share our life adventure with you over the years,” Thomas wrote.
Oprah Winfrey, Donahue’s fellow talk show titan, shared a heartfelt dedication to the late, great host on her Instagram page as well.
“There wouldn’t have been an Oprah Show without Phil Donahue being the first to prove that daytime talk and women watching should be taken seriously,” Winfrey wrote. “He was a pioneer. I’m glad I got to thank him for it. Rest in peace Phil 🙏🏽🕊️.”
Phil Donahue became an American household name as host of The Phil Donahue Show (also known as simply, Donahue). The show was a smash success, and at 29 years on the air, it remains the longest-running syndicated talk show in television history.
The program, which aired from 1967 to 1996, was known for its provocative nature; Donahue invited his audience and guests to pontificate about anything and everything—from intellectual topics such as human rights and international politics, to taboo ones like hard drugs and safe sex at orgies during the height of the AIDS epidemic.
Donahue first started airing in Cleveland, Ohio before ending its tenure in New York City. During his time in the city, Donahue was one of the first television figures to introduce a national audience to homegrown NYC movements like hip-hop and breakdancing in early 1980s.
