How Marlo Thomas & Phil Donahue’s Marriage Thrived Through Every Obstacle—Staying Strong Until His Final Moments

They had been together for nearly fifty years before Donahue passed away at the age of eighty-eight. They had endured difficult situations that had deepened their relationship. In the book “What Makes a Marriage Last: 40 Celebrated,” Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue talked on how their marriage changed as a result of love. The reason was that she did not think marriage would provide her enough room. She would reply cheekily every time the subject came up because she was so against it.

Thomas compares being married to living with your jailer and attempting to please them. “Marriage is like a vacuum cleaner: you stick it to your ear, and it sucks out all your energy and ambition,” was her second, equally scathing jab at the establishment.

Still, Thomas married Donahue in the end—the love of her life. The couple spent almost fifty years together before he died. Donahue, who was 88 years old, passed away on Sunday evening, August 18, following a lengthy illness. His loving family confirmed the sad news with a statement. “Groundbreaking TV talk show journalist Phil Donahue passed away peacefully at home on Sunday night, accompanied by his cherished golden retriever Charlie, his sister, his children, and his grandchildren,” the statement read.

In the middle of the announcement they made, Donahue’s family decided not to reveal the reason for his passing. “Remember Phil Donahue’s Legacy: Family Requests Contributions to Notre Dame and St. Jude Fund” According to their book, Donahue and Thomas had already met in Chicago in 1977. While on a movie tour, he invited her to appear on his talk show, and she said they “clicked,” adding that it was obvious they were attracted to each other. I was so impressed by his assurance. He was an expert in his field.

Thomas asserted that he instantly fell in love with her. She said she was actually drawn in by the late, great, white-haired, blue-eyed talk show presenter. When the tour concluded in Chicago, she had to move on to the next city. Nevertheless, that didn’t stop Donahue from discovering her location. When he reached out, he asked if Denver was too far from Chicago, to which she replied that it wasn’t. After that, he visited her in Denver, and they had dinner together. Thomas clarified that their connection progressed after that.

She also shared that, despite her extensive time in Hollywood, she had never encountered anyone quite like her beloved, who felt more like a family member. Besides sharing similar middle-class values with Thomas, Donahue hailed from the Midwest. The late television host was raising four boys by herself and unmarried when the two first met. His daughter, his fifth child, resided with his former spouse. The host of “The Phil Donahue Show” was becoming accustomed to attending social gatherings with a woman who wasn’t his spouse when he met Thomas.

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