Phil Donahue, talk show icon, dead at 88

This morning the TV industry lost another big name — in particular, one in Phil Donahue who altered the medium forever.

This morning on The Today Show, a statement was read that the talk-show icon had passed away at the age of 88:

“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 singular talk show ran across the country for nearly three decades starting in the late 1960’s, and is thought of as one of the most influential of all time thanks to its conclusion of audience participation. Oprah Winfrey in particular has said that his show was an enormous influence on what she was able to do with her own show, and that is without even mentioning several others who have come in the decades after the fact. It goes without saying, but he received a number of awards and commendations for his work, which often included taking on and discussing key issues that divided much of the country.

In addition to hosting his show, Donahue made appearances on The Today Show for many years; he also briefly hosted a series on MSNBC starting in 2002. He occasionally did interviews after the fact, and was still known by many viewers as a refuge, or someone who they could tune in and watch for a certain amount of time almost every day. He did thousands of shows, which is something that is both incredibly daunting and worth of immense respect. How do you find a way to make each one stand out?

Our thoughts and condolences go out to Donahue’s family and all who loved him during this difficult time.