Longtime television host Regis Philbin died on July 24 at the age of 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 shared with People 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,” the Philbin family says.
After a string of local talk shows, including A.M. Los Angeles and Regis Philbin’s Saturday Night in St. Louis, he moved to New York in 1983 to host The Morning Show, which was renamed three years later as Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee.
In 1988, Philbin began his iconic career as the host of Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee alongside Kathie Lee Gifford. After 15 years, Gifford left the ABC show but the pair remained close friends after her departure.
Philbin was raised in the Bronx and graduated from Cardinal Hayes High School in 1949 before attending the University of Notre Dame, where he earned a sociology degree in 1953.
After serving in the Navy, Philbin began his career in show business as a writer and made his way in front of the camera in 1961 with a local talk show in San Diego called The Regis Philbin Show. Then in 1967, he became widely known as Joey Bishop’s sidekick on The Joey Bishop Show.
After a string of local talk shows, including A.M. Los Angeles and Regis Philbin’s Saturday Night in St. Louis, he moved to New York in 1983 to host The Morning Show, which was renamed three years later as Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee.
Philbin had various health issues. He underwent an angioplasty in 1993, followed by triple bypass surgery due to plaque in his arteries in March 2007. In December 2009, the television personality had his hip replaced.