Legendary US talk show host Phil Donahue dies dead at 88 years old. His family verified the news to US media, saying Donahue passed away quietly at his house on Sunday following a protracted illness under the company of loved ones.
Having produced and presented The Phil Donahue Show, a program that permanently changed television history, Donahue was generally considered as the “king of daytime talk” in the United States. Donahue spoke with some of the most famous people of the day across his remarkable career: Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali, Sammy Davis Jr., Sir Elton John, Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams, Dolly Parton, Michael J. Fox.
Born in Cleveland in 1935, Donahue’s media career started in late 1950s on television and talk radio. Launched in 1967, his innovative chat program would subsequently be known simply as Donahue once he moved to Chicago in 1974. Donahue’s introduction of audience participation—a technique that became a mainstay on daytime television—quickly brought the show great success.
A Pathfinder in Daytime Television
Donahue’s show was a pathfinder in the business since he produced more than 6,000 episodes over almost three decades. His creative approach revolutionized the scene of daytime television, especially in terms of appeal to female viewers. Among the first to acknowledge women’s desire for meaningful conversations about the environment they lived in, Donahue’s show was not limited in its subjects to conventional ones.
Talk show powerhouse Oprah Winfrey personally acknowledged Donahue for opening the path for her success. She said in a 2002 piece for O, The Oprah Magazine, “Oprah Winfrey Show would not exist if there had been no Phil Donahue show.” She commended Donahue for realizing the intelligence of women and their yearning for a better knowledge of the world.
Donahue received 20 Emmy Awards over his career, equally divided between exceptional host and the talk program itself. President Joe Biden bestowed upon him the highest civilian distinction in the United States—the Medal of Freedom earlier this year.
Four children from his first marriage and his wife, actress Marlo Thomas, who he married in 1980, survive Donahue. Generations of people will remember his legacy as a trailblazer in television and his help in shaping chat shows.