![Marlo Thomas Breaks Silence After Husband Phil Donahues Death](https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Marlo-Thomas-Breaks-Silence-After-Husband-Phil-Donahues-Death.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all)
Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas Kevin Winter/Getty Pictures
Marlo Thomas paid tribute to her late husband, Phil Donahue, following his passing on the age of 88.
“Hey, Mates. I’m certain by now you’ve heard the very unhappy information that I misplaced my sweetheart final evening,” Thomas, 86, wrote by way of Instagram on Monday, August 19, alongside a throwback picture of her and Donahue. “So I do know you perceive that I’ll be stepping away from this web page for some time to maintain myself and the many individuals who took care of Phil, and held him near their hearts.”
Thomas added that she didn’t wish to take time away till she thanked everybody for the “lovely messages of affection and assist” she’s acquired up to now. She famous her appreciation to her followers for letting her and Donahue, who had been married for 44 years, into their lives over time.
“As a person who spent his profession loving his audiences, Phil received such a kick out of our cozy little neighborhood right here, and I do know he could be very touched by the heartwarming ideas and recollections you’ve been sharing,” she continued. “Till I return, I want you good well being and completely happy days within the firm of household and mates, and I hope that you’ll proceed to carry shut these you cherish most, simply as I used to be blessed to do with my beloved Phillip. Love, Marlo.”
Thomas had additionally shared one among her “favourite images” of herself and Donahue from a European trip, which confirmed the couple smiling for the digital camera as they posed on a scooter.
Earlier that day, information broke that the host of the Phil Donahue Present had “handed away peacefully following a protracted sickness,” in response to a press release shared by his household. Thomas was by his facet with “his sister, his youngsters, grandchildren and his beloved golden retriever, Charlie.”
![Marlo Thomas Breaks Silence After Husband Phil Donahues Death](https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1-Marlo-Thomas-Breaks-Silence-After-Husband-Phil-Donahues-Death.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all)
Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Pictures
Thomas and Donahue’s pal, Kelly Ripa, paid tribute to the speak present host on social media. “Good mates are exhausting to return by and even more durable to lose,” Ripa, 53, wrote by way of Instagram on Monday, alongside a photograph of her, Thomas, Donahue and Mark Consuelos. “To a life effectively lived.”
Donahue and Thomas tied the knot in 1980. The pair met and fell in love three years earlier when the actress appeared as a visitor on Donahue’s eponymous speak present.
“It was form of love at first sight,” Thomas mentioned of her and Donahue’s connection throughout a 2021 look on Late Night time with Seth Meyers. “One thing chemical occurred.”
After greater than 4 many years of marriage, Thomas and Donahue went on to launch their podcast “Double Date with Marlo Thomas & Phil Donahue” to share their suggestions and tips for sustaining a cheerful and wholesome relationship.