What started as a local talk show in Ohio grew into a syndicated icon in its own right. Not just the host, but the show itself.
Phil Donahue, an Ohio native, began his self-titled talk show in 1967 in Dayton, then went into syndication three years later. The series would shift first to Chicago, then, to New York, where the show was taped at NBC's Rockefeller Center studios until it ended in 1996.
A few years later, MSNBC lured Donahue out of retirement to host a primetime show, but it was cancelled not too long after. As Donahue noted after this run ended, he was required to have two conservative guests, and he counted as two liberals instead of one. Go figure.
One entire episode in 1976 was devoted to movie icon John Wayne.
Donahue passed away Sunday at the age of 88, survived by his 2nd wife, actress Marlo Thomas. The family is asking for donations to St. Jude's Children's Hospital, the Memphis-based hospital long championed by Thomas, and before her, her father, Danny Thomas.
Rest in peace.
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