Dead Sunday, his family confirmed; Phil Donahue, a creative TV anchor who became well-known in the late 1960s after becoming the first person to engage a studio audience on a chat show and introduced fresh ideas into American homes.
He was eighty-eight.
Not immediately revealed was the reason of death. His family reported he had a "long illness."
"Groundbreaking TV talk show journalist Phil Donahue died Sunday night at home surrounded by his wife of 44 years Marlo Thomas, her sister, his children, grandchildren and his beloved golden retriever Charlie," his family stated in a statement.
"Donahue passed away quietly following a long illness; he was 88 years old."
Monday Thomas wrote on Instagram to let her followers know she will be temporarily away from her page to take care of herself.
She said she wanted to leave expressing thanks for the "wonderful and generous way you've let Phil and me share our life adventure with you over the years."
"As a man who spent his career loving his audiences, Phil got such a kick out of our cozy little community here, and I know he would be very touched by the heartwarming thoughts and memories you have been sharing," Thomas wrote.
She said that one of her favorite pictures of her and Donahue on a vacation was this one of them riding a motorized scooter.
Thomas hoped she held those she loved close "as I was blessed to do with my beloved Phillip." She wished her followers well in her absence.
His nationally syndicated "The Phil Donahue Show," subsequently known as "Donahue," was a ratings hit at its best and forerunner of similar programs including hosts Montel Williams and Jerry Springer.
Oprah Winfrey called Donahue a trailblazer who created smart discourse in the afternoon and introduced stunning fresh ideas into American women's living rooms and laundry areas.
"His show debuted nationally and the whole nation came to know his personal brand of issue-driven straight talk," Winfrey stated in 2002.
"Oprah Winfrey's show would not exist if the Phil Donahue show had not existed. He was the first to admit that women desire the greatest possible lives for ourselves, that we are intellectual, and that we are interested in more than just cosmetics advice and cake recipes.’s environment.”
But Donahue unintentionally launched a fresh wave of television.
While taping his show in Dayton, Ohio, in 1967, he first experimented with the audience participation approach. According to The New York Times, the audience came for a variety show—which unbeknownst to them had been canceled
Read Also : What’s one small step you can take today to make your goals a reality?
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Dead Sunday, his family confirmed; Phil Donahue, a creative TV anchor who became well-known in the late 1960s after becoming the first person to engage a studio audience on a chat show and introduced fresh ideas into American homes.
He was eighty-eight.
Not immediately revealed was the reason of death. His family reported he had a "long illness."
"Groundbreaking TV talk show journalist Phil Donahue died Sunday night at home surrounded by his wife of 44 years Marlo Thomas, her sister, his children, grandchildren and his beloved golden retriever Charlie," his family stated in a statement.
"Donahue passed away quietly following a long illness; he was 88 years old."
Monday Thomas wrote on Instagram to let her followers know she will be temporarily away from her page to take care of herself.
She said she wanted to leave expressing thanks for the "wonderful and generous way you've let Phil and me share our life adventure with you over the years."
"As a man who spent his career loving his audiences, Phil got such a kick out of our cozy little community here, and I know he would be very touched by the heartwarming thoughts and memories you have been sharing," Thomas wrote.
She said that one of her favorite pictures of her and Donahue on a vacation was this one of them riding a motorized scooter.
Thomas hoped she held those she loved close "as I was blessed to do with my beloved Phillip." She wished her followers well in her absence.
His nationally syndicated "The Phil Donahue Show," subsequently known as "Donahue," was a ratings hit at its best and forerunner of similar programs including hosts Montel Williams and Jerry Springer.
Oprah Winfrey called Donahue a trailblazer who created smart discourse in the afternoon and introduced stunning fresh ideas into American women's living rooms and laundry areas.
"His show debuted nationally and the whole nation came to know his personal brand of issue-driven straight talk," Winfrey stated in 2002.
"Oprah Winfrey's show would not exist if the Phil Donahue show had not existed. He was the first to admit that women desire the greatest possible lives for ourselves, that we are intellectual, and that we are interested in more than just cosmetics advice and cake recipes.’s environment.”
But Donahue unintentionally launched a fresh wave of television.
While taping his show in Dayton, Ohio, in 1967, he first experimented with the audience participation approach. According to The New York Times, the audience came for a variety show—which unbeknownst to them had been canceled
Read Also : What’s one small step you can take today to make your goals a reality?