Regis Philbin, who became a household name in the 1980s cohosting "Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee" and later padded an impressive resume by hosting "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" has died. He was 88.
"We are deeply saddened to share that our beloved Regis Philbin passed away last night of natural causes, one month shy of his 89th birthday," his family said in a statement on Saturday. "His family and friends are forever grateful for the time we got to spend with him -- for his warmth, his legendary sense of humor, and his singular ability to make every day into something worth talking about. We thank his fans and admirers for their incredible support over his 60-year career and ask for privacy as we mourn his loss."
Philbin won six daytime Emmys and received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the awards show in 2008.
He was born and raised in New York City, and he said in an interview with the Archive of American Television that his uncle, who worked in television, piqued his interest in entertainment at a young age.
In 1955, he became a page at NBC for a few weeks before he moved to the West Coast, where, eventually, he landed his first talk show, "The Regis Philbin Show," in San Diego. Shortly thereafter, he replaced Steve Allen on "The Steve Allen Show" in Hollywood, but it flopped.
"I didn't know how to tell a joke. That wasn't me," he explained in the Archive of American Television interview. "I simply could not handle it, and the show went off."
Jimmy Kimmel, who became friends with Philbin late in his life and eventually went on to host "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" himself, tweeted, "Regis was a great broadcaster, a good friend and a tremendous amount of fun. He leaves behind a beautiful family and a TV legacy that will likely go unmatched. Regis, I hope our friend [Don] Rickles met you at the pearly gates with open arms and a slew of the insults you loved so much."
Regis was a great broadcaster, a good friend and a tremendous amount of fun. He leaves behind a beautiful family and a TV legacy that will likely go unmatched. Regis, I hope our friend Rickles met you at the pearly gates with open arms and a slew of the insults you loved so much
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) July 25, 2020
Philbin went on to work as comedian Joey Bishop's sidekick on "The Joey Bishop Show," and then began co-hosting morning TV in Los Angeles before returning to New York City to do so. His most famous job came along in 1988, when he began co-hosting "Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee" with Kathie Lee Gifford. After Gifford left the show in 2000, Kelly Ripa signed on as Philbin's co-host a year or so later, and the show became "Live! with Regis and Kelly."
Gifford shared her sentiments on Instagram, writing, "There are no words to fully express the love I have for my precious friend, Regis. I simply adored him and every day with him was a gift. We spent 15 years together bantering and bickering and laughing ourselves silly -- a tradition and a friendship we shared up to this very day. I smile knowing somewhere in Heaven, at this very moment, he’s making someone laugh."
"It brings me great comfort knowing that he had a personal relationship with his Lord that brought him great peace," she added. "I send all the love in my heart to Joy, to his children, to the rest of his family and to the innumerable people he touched over his legendary life. There has never been anyone like him. And there never will be."
"I think I'm going out a pretty proud and happy guy," he said on his final episode in 2011. "I wanted this show to be a show where people would feel better about themselves, would look at life in, maybe, a different way, a funnier way, and I think that's what we accomplished and I'm very happy about that aspect."
Ripa shared her condolences in a joint statement with current "Live!" host Ryan Seacrest in a post on Instagram, writing, "We are beyond saddened to learn about the loss of Regis Philbin. He was the ultimate class act, bringing his laughter and joy into our homes everyday on Live for more than 23 years. We were beyond lucky to have him as a mentor in our careers and aspire everyday to fill his shoes on the show. We send our deepest love and condolences to his family and hope they can find some comfort in knowing he left the world a better place."
Michael Gelman, the executive producer for "Live!" and a regular on camera during Philbin's decades on the show, wrote, "Devastated by Regis’ passing. He was a broadcasting legend as well as my friend, colleague and mentor for over thirty years. My heart goes out to Joy and his family."
President Donald Trump shared his condolences on Twitter: "One of the greats in the history of television, Regis Philbin has passed on to even greater airwaves, at 88. He was a fantastic person, and my friend. He kept telling me to run for President. Holds the record for 'most live television,' and he did it well. Regis, we love you. ... And to Joy, his wonderful wife who he loved so much, my warmest condolences!!!"
MORE: Regis Philbin Retiring From 'Live' After Nearly 28 YearsPhilbin also hosted "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" from 1999 until 2002, where he became famous for asking contestants, "Is that your final answer?" He told the Archive of American Television that after seeing an episode of the British version of the show, he knew it was going to be popular.
"I wasn't even on the ABC list [of hosts] ... and so I had to pitch pretty hard to be considered for it," he told the Archive of American Television. "I loved it. I thought it was a tremendous hit."
Throughout his TV career, Philbin also discussed his personal life. In 2007, he shared with viewers that he had a brother 20 years his junior, Frank, who died unexpectedly.
"I never talked about him because he was a very private guy," he said at the time. "I've respected that all these years."
MORE: Behind the scenes of ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’Later that year, he underwent open heart surgery, and in 2009, he had his hip replaced.
The TV host was married twice and had four children. He is survived by his wife Joy, their two daughters, Joanna and J.J., his daughter from his first marriage, Amy, and grandchildren. His son, Danny, died in 2014.
