Phil Donahue, the “king of daytime talk” in the US, has died aged 88 in his Manhattan home on August 18.

In a statement to Today, his family confirmed the news, stating that the talk show host died following a long illness. During his final hours, he was surrounded by his loved ones, including his wife of 44 years, actress Marlo Thomas, his sister, his children, Michael, Daniel, Kevin, and Mary Rose, his grandchildren, and his beloved golden retriever, Charlie.

The exact caused of death hasn’t been revealed.

Donahue hosted The Phil Donahue Show, later renamed Donahue, for nearly three decades, interviewing celebrities, politicians, and many of the iconic figures of his time, Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali, and Dolly Parton among the rest.

Throughout his career, he hosted more than 6,000 episodes and often took on controversial social issues, inviting the audience to take part in the discussions and setting a new format for daytime talk shows.

Donahue was also known as a prominent feminist and supporter of women’s rights since the late 1960s.

He was born in Cleveland in 1935 and started his media career in the late 1950s, initially working both in talk radio and television. He launched his namesake talk show in 1967. The show moved from Ohio to Chicago in 1974, rebranding as simply Donahue.

His wife took to Instagram to thank her followers “for the beautiful messages of love and support that have been coming in all day, and for the wonderful and generous way that you’ve let Phil and me share our life adventure with you over the years.”

She wrote she would be stepping away from her page for a while in order to take some time and to take care of herself after losing her dear husband.

Celebrities, among which Oprah Winfrey, paid their tributes to the man who helped pave the way for other talk-show hosts.

“There wouldn’t have been an Oprah Show without Phil Donahue being the first to prove that daytime talk and women watching should be taken seriously,” Winfrey wrote alongside a black and white photo of her and the late host. “He was a pioneer. I’m glad I got to thank him for it. Rest in peace Phil.”

Our thoughts and prayers go to Phil Donahue’s family.

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