Phil Donahue, the longtime host of the landmark talk show The Phil Donahue Show, died Sunday night after a long illness, surrounded by his family, including his wife, actor Marlo Thomas. He was 88.
Marlo Thomas meets Phil on The Donahue Show
His death was announced this morning on The Today Show. Today shared a statement from Donahue's family.
The Today hosts called Donahue a "dayclub star" who introduced a format that others have copied, noting that Donahue had received the Medal of Honor from President Joe Biden this summer.
Donahue was married to Thomas for more than 40 years. They met when the That Girl star met Donahue while she was a guest on his talk show.
