Phil Donahue, who was known for hosting daytime chat shows, passed away recently. It was the eighty-eighth year of his life.

On Sunday, August 18, Donahue passed away peacefully at his home after a protracted battle with sickness. He was joined by his wife of 44 years, Marlo Thomas, as well as “his sister, his children, grandchildren, and his beloved golden retriever, Charlie,” according to a statement that was provided to Today.

Donahue’s career in the media didn’t start until the late 1950s, thirty years after his birth in 1935. After working as a journalist in his native state of Ohio, Donahue went on to launch his own talk show shortly thereafter. At first, it was shown on a local CBS station in Dayton, Ohio; but, in 1967, it was moved to a local NBC network in the same city. After a period of three years, they decided to telecast it after selecting it for national syndication.

The former grand head of the Knights of the KKK and child molestation in the Catholic Church were two of the controversial subjects that were discussed on his talk program, which was well-known for its controversial coverage of so many different themes.

Additionally referred to simply as Donahue, the Phil Donahue Show was crucial in laying the framework for subsequent daytime talk programs.

With Donahue’s show, audience members were given the opportunity to pose questions to guests for the very first time.

“I simply walked out into the audience one day,” I said in an interview with WGN. “The Donahue show would not have existed if I had not inadvertently drawn in the audience,” the interviewer said.