Who was Phil Donahue married to? What to know about actress Marlo Thomas
Phil Donahue, a former talk show host from Cleveland, has died at 88, USA TODAY reports.
Donahue, a journalist and longtime host of "The Phil Donahue Show," created and hosted the first daytime talk show to feature audience participation. The show began in Dayton, Ohio. Donahue was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in May by President Joe Biden.
"He broadcast the power of personal stories in living rooms across America. He helped change hearts and minds through honest and open dialogue," Biden said.
But who was Phil Donahue married to? Here's a look.
Who was Phil Donahue married to?
Donahue married actress, producer, author, and activist Marlo Thomas in 1980. According to The Today Show, the couple initially met when she appeared on his talk show to promote her 1977 film, "Thieves," and they had "instant chemistry."
Thomas and Donahue co-authored "What Makes a Marriage Last" in 2020. The book features a series of conversations with married couples about their secrets to love and happiness.
In the book, Thomas stated that their secret to marriage was love, listening, and lust, the "three Ls."
"You have to listen and then you’ll know what the other person is really thinking and going through. You have to love each other. And without lust, you don’t have anything," she told People in 2023.
Donahue and Thomas celebrated their 44th wedding anniversary on May 21, according to a photo she posted on Instagram of their wedding day.
On Monday, Thomas posted a tribute to her husband and former talk show host and writer on Instagram. In her post, she thanked her followers for their love and support but said she is taking a break from social media to grieve.
Did Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas have children?
Donahue and Thomas did not have children together, but the talk show host had five children from a previous marriage. He had four sons, Michael, Kevin, Daniel, and James, and one daughter, Mary Rose.
Thomas opened up about her relationship with Donahue's children in an interview with AARP.org in 2011. She said that she chose to be a friend to Donahue's children instead of trying to be a mother in the "traditional sense."
Donahue's youngest son, James, died in 2014 of an aortic aneurysm at age 51, per an obituary in the Dayton Daily News.
Who was Phil Donahue's first wife?
Before he married Thomas, Donahue married his college sweetheart, Margaret Cooney, in 1958, after graduating from the University of Notre Dame, The Today Show reports. The couple divorced in 1975, with Donahue gaining custody of their four sons. Cooney received custody of their daughter.
After their divorce, Cooney returned to her native New Mexico and remarried, according to the Washington Post.
How old is Marlo Thomas?
Marlo Thomas, best known for her roles in "That Girl" and "Free to Be ... You and Me," was born on Nov. 21, 1937, in Detroit. The actress is 86 years old.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: How old is Marlo Thomas? What to know about Phil Donahue's 2nd wife