Kelly Ripa's heartbreak as fans send prayers following loss of famous friend

Kelly Ripa urged fans to cherish their loved ones on Monday after the loss of her dear friend, Phil Donahue .

Taking to Instagram with a poignant photo and message, the Live with Kelly and Mark host shared her heartbreak at the death of the popular TV personality.

Alongside a snapshot of her, her husband Mark Consuelos , Phil and his wife, Marlo Thomas, she wrote: "Good friends are hard to come by and even harder to lose. To a life well lived. We love you Marlo and will miss Phil eternally #ripphildonahue ." Kelly added a broken heart emoji.

She was inundated with prayers and kind words from her social media followers, who also expressed their sadness at his passing at the age of 88.

It was announced on Monday that the legendary talk show host passed away on Sunday, August 18 following a long illness.

He was surrounded by his wife of 44 years, their children, grandchildren, and his beloved golden retriever, Charlie.

Phil paved the way for the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Jerry Springer and Ellen DeGeneres after launching The Phil Donahue Show in 1967 and revolutionizing the talk show industry.

Kelly's photo with Phil and Marlo was taken in April 2021 when they were interviewed on Double Date with Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue .

The concept of the podcast was to interview longtime couples about their relationships.

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At the time, Kelly expressed her surprise when Marlo revealed she hadn't expected to get married.

"All my girlfriends got married," she said. "I was a bridesmaid a million times. I said, 'I’m gonna be an actress. I'm free, I'm going to London to live for a year and do a play. I'm going to do this, I'm going to do that.'"

She added that a relationship "just wasn’t for me. And then I met Mr. Blue Eyes here and it was like, 'Maybe I do like this.'"

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Kelly remarked on their enduring love and responded: "I can’t picture the two of you without each other! You really are peanut butter and jelly."

The couple didn't have any children together, but Marlo was a stepmother to Phil's five kids.

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Phil was previously married to his high school sweetheart Marge Cooney , from 1958 to 1975, and they welcomed Michael, Kevin, Daniel, Mary Rose , plus James , who passed away in 2014.

Marlo paid tribute to Phil on Monday with a heartfelt and lengthy Instagram message.

"I'm sure by now you've heard the very sad news that I lost my sweetheart last night," she wrote. "So I know you understand that I'll be stepping away from this page for a while to take care of myself and the many people who took care of Phil, and held him close to their hearts."

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She thanked everyone for their "beautiful messages," and signed off: "Until I return, I wish you good health and happy days in the company of family and friends, and I hope that you will continue to hold close those you cherish most, just as I was blessed to do with my beloved Phillip. Love, Marlo."