00:00Phil Donahue, the legendary television personality, has sadly died at the age of 88.
00:05Donahue's family announced that the TV icon died Sunday night at his New York City home following
00:11a long illness. Donahue was known as a talk show innovator who changed the conversation and the
00:16course of daytime television with his weekday program, The Phil Donahue Show. The 11-time
00:21Daytime Emmy winner presided over the program for 29 years and forged a path for future TV
00:27legends such as Oprah Winfrey and others to follow. Donahue addressed contemporary and
00:32controversial topics and invited his studio audience to be a part of the broadcast,
00:36often carrying his microphone into the crowd to have the audience participate in the discussion.
00:41For a lengthy period in the 70s and 80s, he was the most-watched interviewer on daytime TV,
00:47attracting about 9 million viewers, most of them female, to each show.
00:51After ending the show in 1996, Winfrey presented him with a Lifetime Achievement
00:56I want to thank you for opening the door so wide, wide enough for me to walk through.
01:01Had there not been a Phil Donahue, I don't believe there could have been an Oprah.
01:05In May, he was among those presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
01:08He is survived by his children and wife of 44 years, That Girl star Marlo Thomas.
01:14For more on the life and legacy of Phil Donahue, head to THR.com.
01:18And for the latest entertainment news and updates, keep watching The Hollywood Reporter News.
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