Legendary Television Host Regis Philbin Dead At 88

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Source: Sheri Determan/WENN.com / WENN

Regis Philbin has died.

According to TMZ, the legendary media personality died Saturday morning after suffering a heart attack at his home in New York City. He reportedly had been battling heart disease for some time now, having an angioplasty done in the 90s as well as triple bypass surgery in 2007.

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His family issued a statement to People Magazine saying the following:

“His family and friends are forever grateful for the time we got to spend with him – for his warmth, his legendary sense of humor, and his singular ability to make every day into something worth talking about. We thank his fans and admirers for their incredible support over his 60-year career.”

Regis Philbin got his start in Hollywood back in the 1950s, working on “The Tonight Show” as a page. He went on to work in local news before gaining more network exposure in the 1960s on “The Joey Bishop Show.”

Philbin went on to replace Steve Allen on his own talk show, but ending up falling short up against Johnny Carson’s strong ratings. It wasn’t until the 1980s where he landed his biggest break, a co-hosting gig with Kathie Lee Gifford, which was known as “Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee.”

Kelly Ripa replaced Kathie Lee when she left the nationally syndicated show. Regis fulfilled his hosting duties up until 2011 when Michael Strahan replaced him.

Still, he stayed busy. Regis is also known as being the original host for the game show, “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” and “America’s Got Talent.” He also appeared on countless TV series and shows such as “Today,” “Rachel Ray,” “Wheel of Fortune” and others.

Regis Philbin is survived by his wife, Joy.

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