Following the death of beloved talk show host Phil Donahue on Sunday, his wife Marlo Thomas thanked fans for their “beautiful messages of love and support” on social media.
Thomas, 86, who was married to Donahue for 44 years, paid tribute to her late husband on Instagram Monday. She posted an old photo of the two vacationing where Thomas is pictured smiling on the back of a moped with her arms wrapped around Donahue.
“I’m sure by now you’ve heard the very sad news that I lost my sweetheart last night, so I know you understand that I’ll be stepping away from this page for a while to take care of myself and the many people who took care of Phil, and held him close to their hearts,” she wrote.
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Before taking time away from social media, Thomas said she wanted to thank fans for their support in a time of grief.
“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,” she wrote.
Donahue, who was known as “the king of daytime talk,” died at the age of 88 on Sunday. His pioneering “The Phil Donahue Show” was the first to incorporate audience participation in a talk show, revolutionizing the genre.
Shortly after the news of his death, fans and celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Andy Cohen took to social media to mourn Donahue and celebrate his legacy.
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“I know he would be very touched by the heartwarming thoughts and memories you’ve been sharing,” Thomas wrote on Instagram.
Fans have reminisced about the couple’s love story, particularly with a resurfaced video of their television broadcast meet-cute.
Phil Donahue & Marlo Thomas meeting & flirting on "Donahue" in 1977. He was 42, she was 39. They were so smitten! They wed on May 21, 1980, and were together until his death yesterday. 🥰😪😪😪😪😪😪😢😢😢😢😢😢😭😢😢😢😢😢😢😢 pic.twitter.com/52RbTsXH3q
— Matthew Rettenmund (@mattrett) August 19, 2024
The pair connected when Thomas appeared on Donahue’s talk show in 1977 to promote her movie “Thieves.” At the end of the interview, Donahue held her hand and told her “You are really fascinating.”
“You are wonderful,” she responded, smiling. “You are loving and generous and you like women and it’s a pleasure. ... Whoever is the woman in your life is very lucky.”
Three years later, they were married.
“I hope that you continue to hold close those you cherish most, just as I was blessed to do with my beloved Phillip,” she wrote at the end of her post.
Sabrina Lam can be reached at sabrina.lam@globe.com.