Phil Donahue passed away at the age of 88 on Sunday, August 18, with his wife Marlo Thomas by his side. The couple was married for 44 years, and Thomas expressed her sorrow on Facebook, referring to him as her “beloved Phillip.” She shared a cherished photo of them taken during one of their vacations when they were younger.
The couple’s romance famously began on live television. Thomas recalled on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” in 2021 that it was love at first sight, describing their initial connection as something “chemical.” Although they initially kept their marriage private, they became more vocal about their relationship in recent years, even launching a podcast in 2021 focused on marriage success, titled “Double Date with Marlo Thomas & Phil Donahue.”
Their love story began when Thomas appeared as a guest on Donahue’s talk show in 1977. Interestingly, this was not their first encounter; they had met five years prior when Thomas was promoting a TV special in Ohio, where Donahue’s show was based. Donahue described Thomas as beautiful and bright but noted that their next meeting was much more impactful.
When Thomas returned to the show in 1977, both were single, with Donahue recently divorced. The chemistry between them was palpable, as evidenced by their banter on air. Following their show, they went out for dinner, where they both expressed their reluctance to marry again. Their mutual lack of pressure to rush into marriage allowed love to grow naturally, leading them to tie the knot in 1980 after a period of long-distance dating.
Donahue, born in December 1935, and Thomas, born in November 1937, had a two-year age difference. While they did not have children together, Donahue had five from a previous marriage, and Thomas chose to embrace her role as a stepmother by fostering friendships with his children instead of taking on a traditional maternal role.
The couple attributed their successful marriage to three key elements: “Love, listening, and lust.” They emphasized the importance of genuine communication and mutual support in their relationship. Over the years, they learned that not everything is a big deal, and maintaining a sense of humor has been crucial.
In 2020, the couple collaborated on a book titled “What Makes a Marriage Last,” which marked their first joint project. The inspiration stemmed from reflections on a friend’s divorce, prompting them to assess their own successful partnership. Featuring insights from other long-married couples, the book outlined various keys to a happy marriage, including gratitude, trust, humor, and the importance of wanting the marriage to endure.
As they concluded their book, Donahue and Thomas noted that there are countless secrets to sustaining a lasting marriage and encouraged others to keep discovering those secrets over time.