Legendary TV Host Regis Philbin Dies at Age 88
Legendary TV host Regis Philbin has died at the age of 88. The news of his death on July 24 was confirmed in a statement from his family shared with People on Saturday.
"We are deeply saddened to share that our beloved Regis Philbin passed away last night of natural causes," the family said in an exclusive shared with the magazine. "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."
Regis, born on August 25, 1931, was one month away from his 89th birthday at the time of his death. Along with Kathie Lee Gifford, he rose to fame as the co-host of Live! With Regis and Kathy Lee starting in the late '80s.
After Kathie Lee left the show in July 2000 on good terms, it was rebranded as Live! With Regis and Kelly in 2001, bringing on co-host Kelly Ripa. Regis left the show in 2011, after a total of 23 years on air; Kelly now hosts the show with Ryan Seacrest, who joined in 2017 following a stint with Michael Strahan. Regis is also known as the original host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, which he led from 1999 to 2002.
Regis is survived by his wife of 50 years, Joy Philbin, and their two daughters, J.J. Philbin and Joanna Philbin, along with his daughter Amy Philbin from his marriage to first wife Catherine Faylen, with whom he also had a son, Daniel, who died in 2014.
Our thoughts are with all of Regis' family and friends at this time.
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