Phil Donahue, television talk show host and husband of actress Marlo Thomas, has died at the age of 88. He passed away on Sunday, Aug. 18. According to a statement released by his family, Donahue died "peacefully following a long illness."
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With him were his wife, along with "his sister, his children, grandchildren and his beloved golden retriever, Charlie."
Per People, "The Phil Donahue Show devoted its hour-long broadcast to single issues including child abuse in the Catholic Church, feminism and race relations, and it was the first to allow audience members to ask guests questions. In 1974, once he relocated the show to Chicago and changed its name to Donahue, the host found his niche while innovating the daytime format."
Phil Donahue Dies
The show was sometimes controversial, illuminating, and never dull or predictable. It won 20 Emmy Awards and welcomed many celebrities such as Gloria Steinem, Dolly Parton, Elton John, Steve Martin and Gregory Peck. It opened the door for other renowned shows hosted by people like Oprah Winfrey and Montel Williams.
His Show Lasted For 26 Years
It Broke New Ground
The popularity of his show is proven by its longevity. The Phil Donahue Show was on TV "for 26 years in syndication, produced at NBC's 30 Rockefeller Plaza, until its last show in September 1996," per ABC News.
Its freewheeling format broke ground because people in the audience were able to question guests and those at home could call in as well.
The TV savvy Donahue said, "We knew if we were to have any chance to succeed, you know, we couldn't be talking about juvenile delinquency or, you know, all these broad, very imprecise issues that are often discussed at Rotary Club meetings and other places. We knew we had to have personalities who moved you to go to that phone and make a phone call," said Donahue. He made that observation while talking about his program with the Television Academy Foundation.
He did not shy away from hosting polarizing personalities like David Duke of the Ku Klux Klan. "You don't fix racism by throwing a blanket over the people who are racist. Put them on, let's hear them," Donahue explained.
Phil Donahue Was Awarded The Presidential Medal of Freedom
He Received The Honor Just Three Months Ago
President Joe Biden presented the prestigious award to Phil Donahue on May. He was honored for "the live daytime talk show, holding a mirror up to America," and for "[interviewing] everyone from our greatest stars to our forgotten neighbors, uniting us around the toughest issues of our time."
No matter what the topic was or the guest on stage with him, Phil Donahue was always a true gentleman, a trailblazer of the medium he inhabited, and a person who will be terribly missed by many.
