Legendary TV host, Regis Philbin has died aged 88, his family has confirmed, according to a report by Mirror.
Regis Francis Xavier Philbin was an American media personality, actor, and singer, known for hosting talk and game shows since the 1960s.
Sometimes called (alternatively attributed to James Brown) “the hardest working man in show business”, Philbin holds the Guinness World Record for the most hours on US television. His trademarks include his excited manner, his New York accent, his wit, and his irreverent ad-libs.
After graduating from the University of Notre Dame, he served in the Navy and got his television start serving as a page for The Tonight Show in the 1950s. Philbin gained his first network TV exposure in 1967 as Joey Bishop’s sidekick on The Joey Bishop Show.
Philbin is most widely known as the host of the New York City-based nationally syndicated talk show Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee starting in 1988, which became Live! with Regis and Kelly starting in 2001, and continued on with former football player Michael Strahan after Philbin’s departure in 2011.
Philbin debuted and hosted Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Million Dollar Password, and the first season of America’s Got Talent.
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