“We are deeply saddened to share that our beloved Regis Philbin passed away last night from natural causes, a month before his 89th birthday,” the statement sent to CNN on Saturday said. “His family and friends are always grateful for the time we spend with him, for his warmth, his legendary sense of humor, and his unique ability to make every day something worth talking about.”
“We thank his fans and admirers for their incredible support during his 60-year career and we ask for privacy as we mourn his loss,” the statement said.
Philbin was the host of numerous television shows, including the morning talk show “Live with Regis and Kathie Lee,” which was co-hosted with Kathie Lee Gifford. Co-host duties were taken over by Kelly Ripa and the show was renamed “Live with Regis and Kelly”.
Philbin holds the world record for most hours on American television, according to Guinness World Records, with more than 16,700 hours on the air.
“It was the last act of class, bringing her laughter and joy to our homes every day on Live for over 23 years,” the statement said. “We were more than fortunate to have him mentor our careers and aspire to fill his shoes on the show every day.”
Regis Francis Xavier Philbin was born in New York on August 25, 1931, the son of Frank and Florence Philbin. It was named after Regis High School, a Jesuit school in Manhattan that his father attended.
He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1953 with a degree in sociology before moving on to serve in the U.S. Navy.
Philbin began his career in show business as a page on NBC’s “The Tonight Show”. He later hosted “The Regis Philbin Show” outside of San Diego before joining “The Joey Bishop Show” as Bishop’s sidekick.
After a stint as a presenter on a local Los Angeles television talk show, Philbin became a co-host in 1983 of “The Morning Show” on WABC.
Gifford became a co-host for Philbin in 1985, and in 1988 the program was syndicated and renamed. The duo continued to organize together until 2000, at which time Philbin presented the show alone, later dubbed “Live with Regis”, until he joined Ripa in 2001. He eventually left the show in November 2011.
Philbin had been married since March 1970 to Joy Philbin, with whom he had two children, Jennifer and Joanna.
A previous marriage to Kay Faylan lasted from 1957 to 1968. Philbin had two children with Faylan, Danny and Amy.
“He could do it all, and we love him for it,” King wrote. “I will miss him every day.”
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