"Groundbreaking TV talk show journalist Phil Donahue died Sunday night at home surrounded by his wife of 44 years Marlo Thomas, his sister, his children, grandchildren and his beloved golden retriever Charlie," said a statement from his family. At his peak, his nationally syndicated "The Phil Donahue Show" — later renamed to "Donahue" — was a ratings hit and precursor to similar shows by hosts Montel Williams and Jerry Springer. "His show debuted nationally, and the whole country came to know his personal brand of issue-driven straight talk," Winfrey said in 2002. "If there had been no Phil Donahue show, there would be no 'Oprah Winfrey' show. "Phil Donahue essentially started this company and began an entire industry in daytime syndication," Bob Turner, then president of Multimedia Entertainment, said in a statement to the Times in 1996 when Donahue announced his retirement.

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Persons: Phil Donahue, —, he'd, Marlo Thomas, Donahue, Montel Williams, Jerry Springer, Oprah Winfrey, Winfrey, Madalyn Murray O'Hair, Bob Turner, Megyn Kelly, Jude Children's, Danny Thomas Organizations: New York Times, Multimedia Entertainment, Times, MSNBC, NBC News, Jude Children's Research, Notre Dame Locations: Dayton , Ohio