Talk Show Icon Phil Donahue Dead at 88 | THR News Video
Phil Donahue the legendary television personality has sadly died at the age of 88. Donahue's family announced that the TV icon died Sunday night at his New York City home following a long illness. Donahue was known as a talk show innovator who changed the conversation and the course of daytime television with his weekday program 'The Phil Donahue Show.'
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00:00Phil Donahue, the legendary television personality, has sadly died at the age of 88.
00:05Donahue's family announced that the TV icon died Sunday night at his New York City home following
00:11a long illness. Donahue was known as a talk show innovator who changed the conversation and the
00:16course of daytime television with his weekday program, The Phil Donahue Show. The 11-time
00:21Daytime Emmy winner presided over the program for 29 years and forged a path for future TV
00:27legends such as Oprah Winfrey and others to follow. Donahue addressed contemporary and
00:32controversial topics and invited his studio audience to be a part of the broadcast,
00:36often carrying his microphone into the crowd to have the audience participate in the discussion.
00:41For a lengthy period in the 70s and 80s, he was the most-watched interviewer on daytime TV,
00:47attracting about 9 million viewers, most of them female, to each show.
00:51After ending the show in 1996, Winfrey presented him with a Lifetime Achievement
00:56I want to thank you for opening the door so wide, wide enough for me to walk through.
01:01Had there not been a Phil Donahue, I don't believe there could have been an Oprah.
01:05In May, he was among those presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
01:08He is survived by his children and wife of 44 years, That Girl star Marlo Thomas.
01:14For more on the life and legacy of Phil Donahue, head to THR.com.
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