Sally Jessy Raphael praises Phil Donahue as the ‘inventor of the talk show’ as she remembers TV icon following his death at age 88

Legendary talk show host Sally Jessy Raphael has praised her talk show host Phil Donahue following his death at the age of 88.

Donahue died Sunday at home after a long illness, surrounded by his family, including his wife Marlo Thomas.

Speaking with PeopleRaphael, who hosted her eponymous show from 1983 to 2002, called Donahue the “inventor of the talk show,” praising the respect he had for his female audience.

“He came up with the whole idea of ​​talk shows. I came after that, then Ricki Lake came after that, then Oprah came after that [Winfrey]”Then came Jerry Springer, then came Maury Povich, then came Geraldo Rivera, then came — well, a lot of them. We were all born out of Phil Donahue,” she told the outlet.

Raphael said Donahue put on a show that appealed to the “daytime audience,” which he knew was mostly women.

“He loved women and women knew it and that was very unusual in those days,” Raphael said. “Men in those days were not known for loving women.”

Donahue met his second wife Marlo Thomas when she was a guest on his show in 1977. According to Raphael, their chemistry was evident to viewers.

“You could see he was very interested, and so was she,” he said.

Following news of Donahue’s death, Raphael tweeted: “This is a very sad day. I admired Phil Donahue for so many reasons, and he was one of the best announcers on American television.

“If there had been no Phil, there would never have been a Sally. My thoughts and prayers go out to Marlo and their family.”

During a performance alongside Geraldo Rivera at NewsNations’ Elizabeth Vargas reports, Raphael reiterated that Donahue cared about his female viewers.

On how Donahue brought the audience into his show, Raphael said, “He did more than that, he had phone calls in the early ’60s and ’70s, he’d say, ‘Is the caller on?’ And he’d go out into the audience. The thing was, he liked women. And that was at a time when there weren’t a lot of men that we thought liked us,” she said.

She added: “He was indeed a natural, but Geraldo was absolutely right: A, he invented daylight and B, he invented the show, the audience,” she said.

In an interview with People, Raphael, who hosted her eponymous show from 1983 to 2002, called Donahue the “inventor of the talk show,” while praising the reverence he had for his female audience; photo 2013

Donahue died Sunday after a long illness, his family announced.

The host of The Phil Donahue Show died at the age of 88 at his home, surrounded by family members, including his actress wife Marlo.

A pioneer of talk shows, his program was the first of its kind, addressing now-common concepts such as audience participation.

The program ran for nearly 30 years and cemented the former news reporter’s place in the annals of television history.

Donahue recently received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his legendary career.

She paid tribute to Donahue after news of his death emerged on Twitter

Donahue is survived by his wife, sister, children and grandchildren, all of whom were with him when he died Sunday night, their statement said.

His beloved golden retriever Charlie was also present, as the disease he was battling is still unknown.

His wife Marlo paid tribute to him on Instagram by sharing an adorable photo of the couple vacationing together on a motorcycle.

“I’m sure by now you’ve heard the sad news that I lost my love last night,” she wrote in the caption.

‘I know you understand that I will be stepping away from this page for a while to take care of myself and the many people who have cared for Phil and loved him.

The host of The Phil Donahue Show died at the age of 88, surrounded by family members, including his actress wife Marlo, at his home

“But I didn’t want to leave without thanking you all for the wonderful messages of love and support I’ve received throughout the day,” the 86-year-old actress said.

‘[A]and for the wonderful and generous way in which you have allowed Phil and me to share our life adventure with you over the years.’

She continued: ‘As a man who has spent his entire career loving his audience, Phil got so much satisfaction out of our cozy little community [on social media]and I know he would be deeply touched by the heartwarming thoughts and memories you share.

“Until I return, I wish you good health and happy days in the company of family and friends. I hope you will keep your loved ones close to you, just as I was fortunate enough to do with my beloved Phillip,” she said.

His wife Marlo Thomas paid tribute to him by sharing this photo of them riding a motorcycle together

“Love, Marlo,” she signed, sharing a throwback photo of the couple on a European vacation.

“PS This is one of my favorite photos of Phil and I,” she wrote.[T]aken on holiday.