TV Host Regis Philbin Dies at 88

Legendary television host Regis Philbin has died at the age of 88. Philbin passed away on July 24, 2020, and his family gave a statement to People; "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 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 made his big break in 1988 as one of the hosts of Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee alongside Kathie Lee Gifford. In 2001, the show became Live! with Regis and Kelly, and Philbin co-starred with Kelly Ripa. He left the show in 2011 after 23 years on-air and was replaced by former New York Giants star Michael Strahan. Philbin was also the original host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? from 1999 to 2002, and also appeared on Million Dollar Password, the first season of America's Got Talent, and was a reoccurring co-host on Rachael Ray. Born on August 25, 1931, Philbin was raised in the Bronx and graduated from Cardinal Hayes High School in 1949 and earned a sociology degree in 1953 from the University of Notre Dame. He also served in the Navy, and made his first appearance in front of the camera in 1961 with The Regis Philbin Show, a local talk show in San Diego. His accolades include winning a Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding talk show host for Live! in 2001 and 2011, and one for being an outstanding game show host for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Furthermore, he received his Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2003 and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Daytime Emmy Awards in 2008. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Joy Philbin, and his daughters J.J., Joanna, and Amy. His first wife was Catherine Faylen and they had a son, Daniel Philbin, who passed away in 2014. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

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