00:00Phil Donahue, the legendary television personality, has sadly died at the age of 88.
00:06Donahue's family announced that the TV icon died Sunday night at his New York City home following a long illness.
00:12Donahue was known as a talk show innovator who changed the conversation and the course of daytime television with his weekday program The Phil Donahue Show.
00:20The 11-time Daytime Emmy winner presided over the program for 29 years and forged a path for future TV legends such as Oprah Winfrey and others to follow.
00:30Donahue addressed contemporary and controversial topics and invited his studio audience to be a part of the broadcast,
00:37often 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 honor.
00:57I 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 a 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.
01:19And for the latest entertainment news and updates, keep watching The Hollywood Reporter News.
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