Talk show icon Phil Donahue dead at 88

Phil Donahue and his wife Marlo Thomas.  (Mark Sagliocco/FilmMagic)

Talk show legend Phil Donahue has died at the age of 88.

Donahue passed away on Sunday night following a long illness, his family told NBC’s "Today." He was surrounded by his family, including his wife of 44 years, Marlo Thomas. 

Donahue hosted "The Phil Donahue Show" from 1967 to 1996 and is considered an icon of the daytime talk show industry. Donahue, long dubbed "the king of daytime talk," was the first to incorporate audience participation in a talk show.

He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Biden earlier this year.

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Phil Donahue died on Sunday night following a long illness, his family told NBC’s "Today." ((Photo by Michel Delsol/Getty Images))

"Phil Donahue is a journalist and television pioneer who pioneered the daytime issue-oriented television talk show. Donahue was the first daytime talk show to feature audience participation and one of the most influential television programs of its time," the White House said when Donahue was awarded the prestigious honor.

Donahue was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1935. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in business administration in 1957 and started his broadcasting career with various entry-level positions before joining Dayton’s WLWD television station in 1967. 

Donahue won 20 Emmy Awards over his historic career, along with a Peabody in 1980. He regularly touched on hot-button issues, such as feminism, homosexuality, consumer protection and civil rights. Along the way, he interviewed everyone from Muhammed Ali and Ronald Reagan to John Wayne and Farrah Fawcett. In 1987, Donahue interviewed Donald Trump to help promote "The Art of the Deal."

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Phil Donahue hosted "The Phil Donahue Show" from 1967 to 1996. (Bettmann / Contributor)

The show also had a radio-style call-in bit where Donahue greeted with his signature, "Is the caller there?"

Donahue is responsible for several of the most iconic talk show moments of all time, such as when Katharine Hepburn didn’t know his name, or the time controversial rap group 2 Live Crew performed on his program, and is beloved by industry heavyweights. He paved the way for successful hosts in the format, such as Oprah Winfrey, Montel Williams and Ellen DeGeneres.

"One of the true trail-blazing icons of American television. He hosted over 6,000 talk shows, and was the first to interact with a studio audience. Interviewing him for CNN a few years ago lived up to every expectation... such a clever, interesting man," Piers Morgan posted on X. 

Donahue married Thomas on May 21, 1980, and in 2020 the couple released a book near their 40th anniversary titled, "What Makes Marriage Last: 40 Celebrated Couples Share with Us the Secrets to a Happy Life."

Donahue returned to television in 2002, hosting the short-lived "Donahue" on MSNBC. He also partnered with Soviet journalist Vladimir Posner for an innovative television discussion series during the Cold War in the 1980s. 

Donahue also co-directed the 2006 documentary "Body of War," which was nominated for an Oscar.

Donahue had five children, four sons and a daughter, from a previous marriage.

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In lieu of flowers, Donahue's family asked that donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the Phil Donahue/Notre Dame Scholarship Fund, according to NBC. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.