Marlo Thomas, most famous as Ann Marie from the 1960s show “That Girl,” recently lost her husband of 44 years, Phil Donahue.
Key Takeaways
- Marlo Thomas’s husband, Phil Donahue, passed away on August 18, 2024, due to a “long illness.”
- The nature of the illness has not been revealed by the family.
- Marlo and Phil had a beautiful relationship of more than 4 decades.
The demise of a pioneer in modern television talk shows has left the community mourning.
The pioneer studio audience TV host passed away on August 18, 2024, following a “long illness” at 88.
The family first broke the news to Today, stating that Donahue passed on at his home, surrounded by loved ones, including Marlo, his sister, his children, his grandchildren, and his beloved golden retriever, Charlie.
Details of the nature of his illness were not disclosed.
Phil Donahue was a pioneer in every sense of the word, starting the modern “daytime talk shows with a live audience participation” format with his show “The Phil Donahue Show,” in 1967.
The show lasted till 1996 and won Phil nine Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Host.
In addition to hosting his most famous show, Phil made regular appearances on NBC’s TODAY from 1979 to 1988.
In fact, Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue first met on “The Phil Donahue Show” in 1977.
Thomas, who was on his show to promote her new movie “Thieves,” found herself smitten with the charming host.
As their chemistry became more palpable towards the end of the segment, Thomas said to Donahue,
I said it when we were off the air and I want to say, you are loving and generous and you like women and it’s a pleasure.
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Whoever is the woman in your life is very lucky.
The pair began dating shortly after this brief but fiery encounter and were married three years later on May 21, 1980.
When Marlo and Phil fell in love — live on the air. ❤️#rip #phildonahue #donahue #marlothomas pic.twitter.com/3A2bfxCRbI
— Ty DeMartino (@TytheWriter) August 19, 2024
Shortly after the news of Phil Donahue’s de*th broke, many fans were quick to shower Marlo with condolences and kind words.
Marlo addressed the sweet sentiments in a lengthy Instagram post dedicated to her late husband and their admirers.
She quoted,
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.
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Thomas added,
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.
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Marlo and Phil’s is a beautiful love story set in the background of the golden age of television.
While Marlo and her family mourn their loss, due to their noble efforts in the field of helping sick children, they have asked fans to make donations to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the Phil Donahue/Notre Dame Scholarship Fund instead of sending them flowers.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Marlo has dedicated part of her life to advocacy for children’s health and education.
- Phil wrote several books, most notably his autobiography “Donahue: My Own Story.”
- The couple was involved in several collaborative projects, mostly talking about marriage and relationships.
