10 months ago
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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Talk amusement big Phil Donahue has died astatine property 88, according to TODAY.
"Groundbreaking TV speech amusement writer Phil Donahue died Sunday nighttime astatine location surrounded by his woman of 44 years Marlo Thomas, his sister, his children, grandchildren and his beloved aureate retriever Charlie," a connection from the Donahue family, obtained by TODAY, said.
Donahue "passed distant peacefully pursuing a agelong illness," according to his family.
A daytime tv staple for decades, Donahue, dubbed “the king of daytime talk,” was the creator and big of "The Phil Donahue Show," which pioneered the speech amusement format and was the archetypal to see assemblage participation, typically during a afloat hr with a azygous guest.
“Just 1 impermanent per show? No band?” helium remembered being routinely asked successful his 1979 memoir, “Donahue, My Own Story.”
The format acceptable “The Phil Donahue Show” isolated from different interrogation shows of the 1960s and made it a trendsetter successful daytime television, wherever it was peculiarly fashionable with pistillate audiences. His amusement launched an indelible tv genre that made household names of Oprah Winfrey, Montel Williams, Ellen DeGeneres and galore others.
Later renamed “Donahue,” the programme launched successful Dayton, Ohio, successful 1967. Donahue’s willingness to research the hot-button societal issues of the time emerged instantly erstwhile helium featured atheist Madalyn Murray O’Hair arsenic his archetypal guest. He would aboriginal aerial shows connected feminism, homosexuality, user extortion and civilian rights, among hundreds of different topics.
The amusement was syndicated successful 1970 and ran connected nationalist tv for the adjacent 26 years, racking up 20 Emmy Awards for the amusement and for Donahue arsenic host, arsenic good arsenic a Peabody for Donahue successful 1980. It included radio-style call-ins, which Donahue greeted with his signature, “Is the caller there?”
The show’s past occurrence aired successful 1996 successful New York, wherever Donahue was surviving with his wife, histrion Marlo Thomas, astatine the clip of his death. The 2 had been joined since 1980. Donahue had 5 children: 4 sons and a girl from a erstwhile marriage.
Donahue returned concisely to tv successful 2002, hosting different “Donahue” amusement connected MSNBC. The presumption canceled it aft six months, citing debased ratings.
He was calved Phillip John Donahue connected Dec. 21, 1935, portion of a middle-class Irish Catholic household successful Cleveland. They moved to Centerville, Ohio, erstwhile Donahue was a child, wherever helium lived crossed the thoroughfare from Erma Bombeck, the aboriginal humorist and syndicated columnist.
Donahue was successful the archetypal graduating people of St. Edward High School, a Catholic all-boys preparatory schoolhouse successful Lakewood, successful 1953, and graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a grade successful concern medication successful 1957. He aboriginal rebelled against, and left, the church, though helium poignantly recalled successful his publication that “a small piece” of his religion would ever beryllium with him.
After a bid of aboriginal jobs successful vigor and TV, Donahue was invited to determination an earlier vigor speech amusement to Dayton’s WLWD tv presumption successful 1967. It moved successful 1974 to Chicago, wherever it stayed for years, past ended its tally successful New York.
The amusement featured discussions with spiritual leaders, doctors, homemakers, activists and entertainers oregon politicians who mightiness beryllium passing done town. He said striking upon the show’s winning look was a blessed accident.
“It whitethorn person been a afloat 3 years earlier immoderate of america began to recognize that our programme was thing special,” Donahue wrote. “The show’s benignant had developed not by genius but by necessity. The acquainted talk-show heads were not disposable to america successful Dayton, Ohio. … The effect was improvisation.”
That lent a state to the amusement that persisted arsenic it grew to No. 1 presumption successful its class.
With an amiable benignant and a caput of salt-and-pepper hair, Donahue boxed with Muhammed Ali. He played shot with Alice Cooper. His guests gave cooking lessons, taught interruption dancing and, much controversially, described “mansharing,” being a mistress, lesbian motherhood oregon — with the assistance of gathered video that got shows banned successful definite cities — however earthy childbirth, termination oregon reverse vasectomies worked.
A halt connected “Donahue” became a indispensable for important politicians, activists, athletes, concern leaders and entertainers, from Hubert Humphrey to Ronald Reagan, Gloria Steinem to Anita Bryant, Lee Iacocca to Ray Kroc, John Wayne to Farrah Fawcett.
Outside of his celebrated speech show, Donahue pursued respective different projects.
He partnered with Soviet writer Vladimir Posner for a groundbreaking tv treatment bid during the Cold War successful the 1980s. The U.S.-Soviet Bridge featured simultaneous broadcasts from the United States and the Soviet Union, wherever workplace audiences could inquire questions of 1 another. Donahue and Posner besides co-hosted a play issues roundtable, Posner/Donahue, connected CNBC successful the 1990s.
Donahue besides co-directed the 2006 documentary “Body of War,” which was nominated for an Oscar.
Donahue's household has requested that donations beryllium made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital oregon the Phil Donahue/Notre Dame Scholarship Fund successful his memory, according to TODAY.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
