EPOCH TIMES – Donahue was 88 when he passed away on Aug. 18, relatives told news outlets in a statement. He was born in 1935 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Family members said that Donahue died at home while surrounded by his wife, Marlo Thomas, his sister, his children, his grandchildren, and his dog.
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Donahue “passed away peacefully following a long illness,” according to the family.
Donahue’s relatives said people can make donations in his honor to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the Phil Donahue/Notre Dame Scholarship Fund, which funds scholarships for the school from which he graduated.
“We knew that in order to get attention, we had to be controversial.”
Donahue had a lengthy career that began with minor roles at several stations before he became a news anchor at WHIO-TV, an Ohio broadcaster, and the host of a talk show on WHIO radio.
His show, The Phil Donahue Show, soon went national and was produced for many years in New York City.
Donahue has been credited for pioneering the talk show format. Oprah Winfrey called him a titan and was quoted on her website as saying, “If it weren’t for Phil Donahue, there would never have been an Oprah Show.”
Donahue’s show covered a number of topics, including abortion and politics. His first interview was with an atheist who sued over prayer in public schools.
Some stations declined to carry some of Donahue’s programs because of the subject matter …
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