Regis Philbin is dead … TMZ has learned.
The iconic television presenter, actor, singer and media personality who was once called “the world’s hardest working man in show business” passed away this weekend, according to a statement from his family.
They said Persons, “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 his incredible support during his 60-year career. “
A source says that TMZ Regis died Saturday morning after suffering a heart attack at his home in New York, although we have not confirmed this with the family at this time.
We know that he had been battling heart disease for a while, even having angioplasty done in the 1990s, not to mention triple bypass surgery in 2007. Until last year, Regis had said he felt relatively healthy during retirement. .
In light of his death, we must say … Regis was a star among stars and had a historical career.
Regis began in Hollywood in the 1950s while working on “The Tonight Show”, under which he served as a page. He spent time working on local news and even had his own show before having more exposure online in the 1960s on “The Joey Bishop Show.”
From there, the ball kept rolling: he replaced the presenter of the talk show Steve Allen on his own show but fell short against Johnny CarsonStrong qualifications. Regis then bounced off the media, but was left with concert performances … everything from radio shows, variety shows, game shows, lifestyle shows, talk shows and more. The boy was getting airtime.
In the late 1980s, perhaps he had his biggest chance by landing a co-host concert with Kathie Lee Gifford, which most know as’ Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee ‘, a nationwide distributed morning talk show that has continued to this day, with other hosts filling up over the years … perhaps most notably, Kelly Ripa, who completed it when Kathie Lee left her acting host.
Regis co-hosted the show until 2011, when Michael Strahan He replaced it.But even during all those intervening years, the man kept himself busy, as fans of game shows may already know.
Of course, Regis is also well known for being the original host of the super game show, ‘Who wants to be a millionaire,’ which was the host from 1999 to 2002 … as well as a couple of spin-offs from TV series. special events. in 2004 and 09. He also hosted other game shows during the 2000s, not to mention the first season of “America’s Got Talent.”
Regis has worked on countless television series and shows over the years as a special guest, guest presenter, co-host, or just general cameos, including recurring appearances on ‘Today’, ‘Rachael Ray’, ‘The Talk’, ‘The Meredith Vieira Show, “The Tonight Show”, “Entertainment Tonight”, “The View”, “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson”, “Late Show with David Letterman”, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” Good Morning America, ” Wheel of Fortune “,” Late Night with Conan O’Brien “,” Jeopardy! “,” The Rosie O’Donnell Show “, and so on.
Regis is survived by his wife, Joy.
He was 88 years old. RIP
