Legendary talk show host Phil Donahue has died at age 88. Multiple outlets confirmed on Monday, August 12th that Donahue “passed away peacefully following a long illness.”
A statement shared by his family read that Donahue ‘died at his home surrounded by his family, including his wife of 44 years, actor Marlo Thomas, his sister, his children, his grandchildren and his beloved golden retriever, Charlie. The family asked that in lieu of flowers, friends and fans make a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the Phil Donahue/Notre Dame Scholarship Fund.‘ No further details about his cause of death were released.
Donahue became a household name in November 1967 when The Phil Donahue Show premiered on a local news network in Dayton, Ohio. The show eventually achieved nationwide syndication in 1974, and relocated to Chicago. The Phil Donahue Show then moved to New York City in 1984 where it was filmed at 30 Rockefeller Plaza studio, coming to an end in September 1996 following a 29 year run and over 7,000 episodes.
Donahue went on to win 20 Emmy Awards (10 for outstanding host and 10 for the talk show itself) and is credited for paving the way for other daytime hosts including Oprah Winfrey, Sally Jesse Raphael, Ricki Lake, and Montel Williams. Donahue later returned to television in 2002 to host Donahue on MSNBC, which was canceled in February 2023.
Donahue married his first wife, Margaret Mary Cooney, in 1958, and they had five children. The pair divorced in 1975. Donahue married Emmy-winning actress Marlo Thomas, 86, in 1980. Donahue and Thomas met while filming an episode of his show in 1977, with the pair later stating in interviews it was “love at first sight.”
President Joe Biden awarded Donahue and 18 others the Presidential Medal of Freedom in May. The medal is the country’s highest civilian honor and is presented to “individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors.”
Donahue is survived by his wife, Thomas and four children — Michael, Kevin, Daniel and Mary Rose. He is predeceased by son James “Jim” Patrick, who died in 2014 of an aortic aneurysm at the age of 51.
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