Veteran TV talk show host Phil Donahue died at the age of 88 on Sunday, August 18.
The family confirmed, this Monday the 19th, the driver’s death in a statement on the Today morning show.
“He passed away in the evening at home surrounded by his wife of 44 years, Marlo Thomas, his sister, children, grandchildren and his beloved golden retriever, Charlie,” they said.
Although they did not go into details, they explained that the communicator died “peacefully after a long illness”.
To honor him, his loved ones have asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or to the Phil Donahue/Notre Dame Scholarship Fund.
Who was Phil Donahue?
Phil Donahue was born on December 21, 1935, grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and began his media career in the late 1950s in radio and television broadcasting, according to People.
He started his eponymous talk show in 1967 in Dayton, Ohio. With this work, he gained credibility and recognition for tackling controversial issues.
During the shows, he dedicated an hour to specific topics, such as child abuse in the Catholic church, and was the first to allow audience members to ask questions of the guests.
In 1974, once he moved the show to Chicago and changed the name to “Donahue,” he found his niche by innovating the daytime format.
“One day, I just walked into the audience and it’s clear that there would be no ‘Donahue’ show if I hadn’t accidentally walked into the audience,” he told WGN-TV in 2023.
The broadcast then moved to New York in January 1985. While broadcasting live from Rockefeller Plaza, he continued to cover new areas, interviewing politicians, activists, artists and athletes, among others.
Throughout its run, which ended in 1996, celebrities such as Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton, Robin Williams and Elton John attended the show.
Although after a six-year absence, Donahue returned in 2002 with a program, of the same name, on MSNBC. However, seven months later they canceled it due to low ratings, the New York Times reported.
In total, he won 20 Emmy Awards for this project and is considered the pioneer of a path for new presenters, such as Oprah Winfrey or Geraldo Rivera.
After the cancellation, Phil wrote, co-directed and produced the 2007 documentary Body of War.
Source: univision
Jason Root is a writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth coverage of famous people in entertainment, sports, and politics. He has a passion for uncovering the stories behind the headlines and bringing readers an inside look at the lives of the famous. He has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Journalism from UC Berkeley.
