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    Marlo Thomas’ final post with husband Phil Donahue shared weeks before his death’: ‘It feels like yesterday’

    By Whitney Vasquez,

    10 hours ago

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3jrdPy_0v4c7eMj00

    Marlo Thomas reminisced about the good old days and focused on love in the weeks leading up to her husband Phil Donahue’s death .

    The “That Girl” actress, 86, was married to the talk show legend for 44 years before he passed away on Sunday night following a long illness at 88.

    But weeks before his death, Thomas shared a loving throwback photo with Donahue and several meaningful quotes on her Instagram page, seemingly knowing the end could be near.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1VfHiX_0v4c7eMj00
    Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas. Penske Media via Getty Images
    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2diWV0_0v4c7eMj00
    Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas during 38th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

    On July 25, the star shared a sunset shot of her squeezing her husband tight. The photo was taken over a decade ago, but she told her followers that they love watching the sun go down together all these years later.

    Remembering talk show legend Phil Donahue — and his least favorite guests

    “Here’s a sweet #throwback! Phil and me aboard the Mugsy, summer of 2009! It’s hard to believe this was 15 years ago, it feels like yesterday. We still love to watch the sunset whether on land or water!” she captioned the smiling picture, which would be her last Instagram post with her husband before his death.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0Vi0Oe_0v4c7eMj00
    Marlo Thomas’ final throwback with Phil Donahue. marlothomas/Instagram
    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1aRAFZ_0v4c7eMj00
    Marlo Thomas shared a quote about love weeks before her husband’s death. Instagram / @marlothomas

    On August 7, Thomas shared a quote by bestselling author Rachel Macy Stafford.

    “Let love start this day. Let love end this day. Let love transform the minutes in between,” it read. The actress used the hashtag “quote of the day” and included a photo of two people hugging.

    Less than a week before Donahue’s passing , his wife — who played Jennifer Aniston’s TV mom in “Friends” — posted another meaningful quote from Tennessee Williams.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/C-qIXUZzCsB

    Actress Marlo Thomas pays tribute to ‘beloved’ husband Phil Donahue after his death: ‘I lost my sweetheart’

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2psbjA_0v4c7eMj00
    Phil Donahue in 1982. Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images

    “We live in a perpetually burning building, and what we must save from it, all the time, is love,” Thomas wrote, again using the “quote of the day” hashtag.

    Thomas confirmed her husband’s death in an emotional Instagram post on Monday, calling him her “sweetheart” and revealing she was taking a much-needed social media hiatus to grieve.

    “I’m sure by now you’ve heard the very sad news that I lost my sweetheart last night, 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,” she wrote.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1uPf04_0v4c7eMj00
    Marlo Thomas confirmed his death in a tribute post. Instagram / @marlothomas

    “But I didn’t want to disappear without saying thank you for the beautiful messages of love and support that have been coming in all day, and for the wonderful and generous way that you’ve let Phil and me share our life adventure with you over the years. As a man who spent his career loving his audiences, Phil got such a kick out of our cozy little community here, and I know he would be very touched by the heartwarming thoughts and memories you’ve been sharing,” Thomas continued.

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    She signed off by wishing all of her followers “good health and happy days in the company of family and friends,” adding, “I hope that you will continue to hold close those you cherish most, just as I was blessed to do with my beloved Phillip.”

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=07dCXU_0v4c7eMj00
    Phil Donahue and his wife Marlo Thomas at the Hulaween gala in 2005. ASSOCIATED PRESS

    Donahue’s namesake show, “The Phil Donahue Show,” aired for 29 years before ending in September 1996 and included high-profile guests like Muhammad Ali, Whoopi Goldberg, Billy Crystal, Steve Martin and Jamie Lee Curtis.

    He won 20 Emmy Awards, including 10 for Outstanding Host and 10 for the show itself. Donahue made history by becoming the first person to interview Nelson Mandela after the South African president’s 1990 release from prison and the first American talk show host to tape from the Soviet Union.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3lDtgB_0v4c7eMj00
    President Joe Biden presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Phil Donahue in May 2024. REUTERS

    On May 3, just months before his death, President Joe Biden awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House. In 2014, Barack Obama also presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

    Donahue returned to TV in 2002 with his MSNBC talk show, “Donahue,” but it was canceled the following year.

    Donahue left much more behind than his prestigious career, including his famous wife, his five children from his first wife, Margaret Cooney, whom he divorced in 1975, his grandchildren, and his beloved golden retriever, Charlie.

    In lieu of flowers, Donahue’s family asked that donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the Phil Donahue/Notre Dame Scholarship Fund.

    For the latest in entertainment, top headlines, breaking news and more, visit nypost.com/entertainment/

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