TV legend Phil Donahue has passed awayGet daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inboxMore Newsletters SubscribePlease enter a valid emailSomething went wrong, please try again later.More NewslettersWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More infoThank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow me See OurPrivacy Notice See OurPrivacy Notice×Group 28 Get daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inboxInvalid emailSomething went wrong, please try again later.Sign UpNo thanks, closeWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info×Group 28Thank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow MeNo thanks, closeSee our
Privacy NoticeTV talk show host Phil Donahue has died at the age of 88. Phil passed away on Sunday 18 August with the news being announced by his devastated family. They confirmed Phil had passed away in a statement obtained by Today, sharing that he was surrounded by his loved ones at the time of his death – including his wife, Marlo Thomas and their children. He is said to have battled a ‘long illness’, but there have been no further details on his cause of death. Phil was mostly known for having his very own series, The Phil Donahue Show, which ran for twenty-five years.
Television talk show host Phil Donahue has passed away age 88
Read More
Related Articles
Inside Homes under the Hammer star Tommy Walsh’s feud with Alan Titchmarsh
Read More
Related Articles
I bagged £135 worth of Nuxe products for £45 with this limited-edition beauty box
In a statement his family said: “Groundbreaking TV talk show journalist Phil Donahue died Sunday night at home, surrounded by his wife of 44 years Marlo Thomas, his sister, his children, grandchildren and his beloved golden retriever, Charlie,’ the message read. “Donahue was 88 years old and passed away peacefully following a long illness.” They also requested that, in lieu of flowers, fans make donations to either St Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the Phil Donahue/Notre Dame Scholarship Fund. Phil was known as being a talk-show trailblazer, his program was the first of its kind, including now commonplace concepts like audience participation. He started his career in the 1950s where he worked for local radio and TV stations in Cleveland. He began his own show in 1967, and the final episode airing in 1996 after nearly 7,000 one-hour long episodes. While hosting his own program, Donahue also appeared on NBC’s The Today Show as a contributor, from 1979 until 1988.
Phil began his television career in Cleveland in the 1950s
During his broadcast career, Phil received 20 Emmy Awards, including 10 for Outstanding Talk Show Host and 10 for The Phil Donahue Show. Other honours included the Peabody Award in 1980 and an induction into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in 1993. Earlier this year, Phil also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Joe Biden. Despite this, Phil is still widely revered in the TV industry and various stars have previously highlighted his influence on their careers. Oprah Winfrey acknowledged that Phil was a big inspiration for her. She once said: “If there had been no ‘Phil Donahue Show’, there would be no ‘Oprah Winfrey Show’.”
Phil’s talk show has been hailed a success by the likes of Oprah Winfrey
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. The shot was snapped at least a year-and-half ago, during filming for Hallmark’s A Magical Christmas Village, which featured Marlo. The actress 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!”Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnIn the News
