Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible television genre, has died

[Stevicus]

Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible television genre, has died

Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible television genre, has died. He was 88.

apnews.com

The grandfather of daytime talk has passed away after a long illness.

Later renamed “Donahue,” the program launched in Dayton, Ohio, in 1967. Donahue’s willingness to explore the hot-button social issues of the day emerged immediately, when he featured atheist Madalyn Murray O’Hair as his first guest. He would later air shows on feminism, homosexuality, consumer protection and civil rights, among hundreds of other topics.

He was married to Marlo Thomas, star of "That Girl."

The two had been married since 1980. Donahue had five children, four sons and a daughter, from a previous marriage. She posted on Instagram Monday that she had “lost my sweetheart” and shared a photo of the couple on vacation, saying it was one of her favorite photos of them together.

“As a man who spent his career loving his audiences, Phil got such a kick out of our cozy little community here, and I know he would be very touched by the heartwarming thoughts and memories you’ve been sharing,” Thomas wrote in the post.

 

[We Never Know]

Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible television genre, has died

Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible television genre, has died. He was 88.

apnews.com

The grandfather of daytime talk has passed away after a long illness.



He was married to Marlo Thomas, star of "That Girl."

I read about that yesterday. I can remember when he was a household name.

 

[Stevicus]

I read about that yesterday. I can remember when he was a household name.

I still remember the show where he had Gus Hall, the head of the U.S. Communist Party, as a guest. His shows could have some pretty heated arguments and controversial topics. But every so often, he'd have more of a "fluff" show - or a show with male dancers, which was always popular with the ladies in the audience.