Phil Donahue has died at age 88 after a long illness.
I was lucky to know this TV legend, the last of the really classy journalists who could take even the most outrageous subject into something intelligent.
His “Donahue” show had a long run in Chicago before moving to New York in the 1980s. He was the ratings king at 9am on WNBC when he came on live with most current topics, celebrities, breaking news in an interview form with an audience.
Phil roamed around among his audience, asking questions of people on the stage and letting the audience do it, too. He was an immediate window into the news cycle. Even when the audience gasped, or voiced concern about people on the stage, Donahue kept things on an even keel.
The Donahue show was considered the gold standard in talk shows. If you could get an author, an actor, a politician on the show their message would be broadcast to the world instantly. He was the trailblazer for Oprah, Ellen, and all the hosts who followed in his footprints.
In real life, Phil was a real gentleman, soft spoken and thoughtful, and always engaged even when the show went off the air after 19 seasons. He had an incredible partner in his wife, actress Marlo Thomas, a real love story for the ages.
Condolences to Marlo and their whole family and wide circle of friends.
