In the 1970s and 80s, talk show host Phil Donahue was a household name, as he dominated the daytime TV circuit and was a pioneer in the industry. 

Sadly, according to Deadline, the longtime host of The Phil Donahue Show passed away on Sunday after battling an illness.

The talk show legend was 88.

It was reported that friends and family surrounded him in his last moments, including his wife, actor Marlo Thomas.

A storied career

Donahue's family released a statement in the wake of his passing, noting that he passed away "peacefully."

"Groundbreaking TV talk show journalist Phil Donahue died Sunday night at home surrounded by his wife of 44 years Marlo Thomas, his sister, his children, grandchildren and his beloved Golden Retriever Charlie. Donahue was 88 years old and passed away peacefully following a long illness."

Donahue's career began in the radio business in Cleveland, Ohio in the 1950s. He would stay in that career and ultimately end up in Adrian, Michigan.

Deadline noted:

But it was his TV work in Dayton, Ohio, that truly launched not only Donahue’s career but what would become a novel and highly influential style of daytime talk TV. In 1959, he was hired as a TV reporter at Dayton’s WHIO, where his empathetic style of interviewing was first noticed by the public and his bosses.

He would later host a business show on television and wound up working as an evening news anchor.

But everything changed for the up-and-coming TV star in 1967 when he was offered a daytime morning interview show with a studio audience by a competing TV station. His show blossomed from there and became a ground-breaking interview-style show that was emulated for decades to come.

Tributes pour in

Given Donahue's popularity and the fact that millions of Americans watched him growing up, tributes poured in for the daytime TV legend.

For Gen-Xers, watching Phil Donahue meant you were either home sick or being left to your own devices during the summer. It was after The Price Is Right and before you had to choose between Ryan's Hope, Search for Tomorrow, or the Young and the Restless. RIP. https://t.co/ZirevrgRDs

— James Wester (@jameswester) August 19, 2024

"Gosh you just verbalized my childhood. I told my dad about passing and reminded him how we watched Donahue together everyday during the summers," one X user wrote.

Another X user wrote, "One of the best to ever do it. Back in a day when no subject was taboo, because the conversation was always rooted in intelligence and logic. Even Jerry Springer had a high qual show back then until he took the uncivilized behavior route. Phil quit, rather than follow that trend."