Talk show icon Phil Donahue dies

Talk show host Phil Donahue has died at the age of 88.

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His family confirmed his death, saying he died at his home surrounded by family on Sunday night after a long illness, the “ Today ” show reported.

Donahue’s wife of 44 years, Marlo Thomas, his sister, his children, grandchildren and his beloved golden retriever, Charlie, were all at his home at the time of his death.

TMZ said Donahue hosted his talk show for 29 seasons. He met Thomas on his show when she was a guest. He had been divorced and was a single father with four sons. The couple married in May 1980, according to The Hollywood Reporter .

Donahue was from Cleveland but got his big break in Dayton, Ohio. He first hosted an afternoon call-in talk show from 1963 through 1967 on WHIO Radio. He left the station after being frustrated not having a national reach and had been working as a salesman for E.F. MacDonald, a trading stamp company in the Ohio city, according to Variety .

He quickly returned to broadcasting in 1967 to start “The Phil Donahue Show,” which became nationally syndicated in 1970, WHIO reported. At its height it was on 200 different stations nationwide, Variety reported. He would go on to host more than 6,000 episodes, with the last show broadcasting on Sept. 13, 1996.

Over his career, Donahue had received nine Daytime Emmy awards and was nominated 21 times. He also had a primetime Emmy nomination for his show “Donahue and Kids.” He also was awarded a Peabody Award in 1981, according to Variety .

He also was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in 1993 and was honored by the organization with a lifetime achievement award in 1996.

Donahue received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in May, WHIO reported.

In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations to be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the Phil Donahue/Notre Dame Scholarship fund.