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TV Icon Regis Philbin Dead At 88; Kathie Lee Gifford, Kelly Ripa and Susan Lucci Pay Tribute

Photo: JPI

Sad news to report on Saturday.  Legendary TV host and personality, Regis Philbin has passed away at the age of 88.  The Daytime Emmy-winning host, was famous for is morning shows including Live with Regis and Kathie Lee for 15 years, and its later incarnation Live with Regis and Kelly,  hosting Who Wants To Be a Millionaire. beauty pageants, his night club shows with former All My Children star, Susan Lucci, and so much more.

In a statement his family shared: “We are deeply saddened to share that our beloved Regis Philbin passed away last night of natural causes, one month shy of his 89th birthday,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 and ask for privacy as we mourn his loss.'”

TMZ is reporting late Saturday afternoon that they confirmed with the Medical Examiner that Regis died from heart disease. He was pronounced dead Saturday at Greenwich Hospital in Greenwich, CT

Philbin’s accolades included: Daytime Emmy Awards wins for Outstanding Talk Show Host for Live! in 2001 and 2011 as well as Outstanding Game Show Host for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.  Regis received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003 and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Daytime Emmy Awards in 2008.  He was nominated for 37 Daytime Emmy Awards throughout his career.  In addition, according to Guinness World Records, Regis holds the world record for most hours on US television with more than 16,700 hours clocked.

Three women who worked so closely with Regis each took to Instagram this afternoon to share their grief and memories of their dear friend, and in some cases mentor:

Photo: TODAYShowNBC

Kathie Lee Gifford expressed on Philbin’s passing: “There are no words to fully express the love I have for my precious friend, Regis. I simply adored him and every day with him was a gift. We spent 15 years together bantering and bickering and laughing ourselves silly—a tradition and a friendship we shared up to this very day. I smile knowing somewhere in Heaven, at this very moment, he’s making someone laugh. It brings me great comfort knowing that he had a personal relationship with his Lord that brought him great peace. I send all the love in my heart to Joy, to his children, to the rest of his family and to the innumerable people he touched over his legendary life. There has never been anyone like him. And there never will be.”

Photo: ABC

Kelly Ripa who took over from Gifford and co-hosted with Regis for many years shared along with Ryan Seacrest: “We are beyond saddened to learn about the loss of Regis Philbin. He was the ultimate class act, bringing his laughter and joy into our homes everyday on Live for more than 23 years. We were beyond lucky to have him as a mentor in our careers and aspire everyday to fill his shoes on the show. We send our deepest love and condolences to his family and hope they can find some comfort in knowing he left the world a better place.”

Photo: NATAS

Susan Lucci, shared an emotional message: “Oh, Regis—I am so shocked and so incredibly sad to learn of your passing. Your warmth and charm and devilish sense of humor made the world fall in love with you—and all of us who had the privilege and joy to work with you adored you! Those five years we traveled the country appearing together on stage are full of some of my favorite memories. Helmut and I send our love and heartfelt sympathy to beautiful Joy and your entire family.  You were one of a kind, Rege—🎼There Will Never Ever Be Another You🎼 RIP, Regis—and thank you”

Philbin is survived by daughters J.J. Philbin and Joanna Philbin, whom he shared with his wife of 50 years, Joy Philbin. He was also father to daughter Amy Philbin, whom he shared with his first wife Catherine Faylen. Philbin and Faylen had another child, son Daniel Philbin, who passed away in 2014.

Share your thoughts and condolences on the passing of Regis Philbin in the comment section below.  

 

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There are no words to fully express the love I have for my precious friend, Regis. I simply adored him and every day with him was a gift. We spent 15 years together bantering and bickering and laughing ourselves silly—a tradition and a friendship we shared up to this very day. I smile knowing somewhere in Heaven, at this very moment, he’s making someone laugh. It brings me great comfort knowing that he had a personal relationship with his Lord that brought him great peace. I send all the love in my heart to Joy, to his children, to the rest of his family and to the innumerable people he touched over his legendary life. There has never been anyone like him. And there never will be.

A post shared by Kathie Lee Gifford (@kathielgifford) on

 

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Kathie Lee and Susan Lucci sounded very sincere.

Huh? Why wouldn’t they be?

I was so saddened to hear this news. He was one in a million.

There was a comfort factor watching anything Regis was on. Always a great last minute guest for Letterman, too.

Even Bob Iger gave a more personal comment on Twitter than Ripa.

David Letterman described Regis best as “in the same category as Carson”

RIP

Kelly Ripa is a disgusting person. Regis gave her everything and she disrespected him even in death with that lackluster posting that you can tell came from Ryan only. She should be very ashamed!!!

I totally agree with you Shari. Kelly wouldn’t have her show much less her bank account if not for Regis. Disgusting. I can see why Michael left. I know the way he told her was wrong, but after reading her tweet, I can see Michael’s point. As the saying goes, give an inch take a mile. The minute she sat her but in the first chair, everything went right to her big head. I stopped watching after Michael left. I don’t know how Ryan puts up with her. But her sharing a tweet with Ryan was to disrespectful for words. Rest in peace Regis.

Rude! I think her condolences were heartfelt and sincere

Her on-air comments were much more personal and seemed very genuine; she said the first people she thought of were his daughters and Joy, and then after them, Kathie Lee, and called them his “Four Jewels” or something like that, and she told a story about his interactions with her daughter Lola that also came across as heartfelt. I think the Instagram message was more restrained, especially compared to Susan’s and KL’s, so I can see how you might have found it underwhelming in comparison (and let’s be fair–some people can write what they feel better than others), but I’m hard pressed to see how you found it disrespectful, much less how you came to the conclusion that it came from Ryan only. (I’d also point out that Kelly and Ryan’s message had to take into account the fact that they still represent the show that Regis founded, so they were going to have to be a bit more formal. It’s entirely possible it was written, or at least cleared, by the show’s producers, ABC, etc.)

I saw her on air comments but actions speak louder than words. It has been well known that there was never any interaction between them since the day he left the show. When asked about it, Regis, ever the class act, never commented, just acknowledged that they were never in contact. She took it as an insult that he left the show. As usual, it was all about her and not the fact that he was aging and knew the day to day grind wasn’t for him anymore. As Michael Strahan has said, he was used to being a team player and on that show there was no team.

Out of the things you said, two things seem indisputable: that they weren’t in contact after he left the show (that’s factual, from what I know, although I don’t know the reason behind it any more than you do–unless you’ve got more information than you’ve shared here, in which case, please do share) and that Michael Strahan said he didn’t feel the atmosphere was a team atmosphere (which I did read he’d said). On what basis are you concluding that it was all about her and that she took it as an insult that he left the show? Has she said that? I’m not Kelly Ripa’s biggest fan in the world and I don’t watch the show more than occasionally, but I do think we ought to be careful what we decide we “know” based on limited information. I stand by what I said: her on-air comments came off–to me–as sincere. Now, she’s an actress, so of course she’s capable of faking sincerity if she wants to, but I see no reason so far to reach that conclusion. If you know more, for a fact, that you can share, please do.

Saw his show many years ago in Vegas. It was so good. I remember we got stuck in Vegas because the East coast had the worst snowstorm and planes weren’t flying. I watched him every day and enjoyed his banter. I was sad when he retired. He will be truly missed.

Mornings with Regis and Kathy was full of sunshine & joy. They actually had people laughing. A fun way to start the day. Morning talks programs aren’t the same without Regis. RIP.

I am sorry about Regis but from what I hear a life well lived. Whenever I watched him he always seemed to smile and didn’t have a bad word for anyone. Too many of an era leaving us. They will be missed.

All My Children

Malachy McCourt, ‘Ryan’s Hope’ and ‘All My Children’ Actor, Dead at 92

If you watched Ryan’s Hope through its 14-year-run, you know that Kevin the bartender became a beloved “member’ of the Ryan clan on the defunct ABC daytime drama series. The character of Kevin MacGuiness became so loved by the fans because of the actor who portrayed him, Malachy McCourt.

Sadly, according to his wife Diana McCourt to The New York Times, Malachy passed away on Monday from a heart condition and battling cancer. The actor was 92-years-old.

Playing Kevin on Ryan’s Hope was not much of a stretch for McCourt, because in his lifetime, he was the owner of 1950s Irish pub Malachy’s on Third Avenue in Manhattan. Known as one of the city’s great story-tellers, patrons from longshoremen to the actor Richard Harris would stop in and talk all things Irish with . On Ryan’s Hope, Kevin was best friends to “Ryan’s Bar” owner, Johnny Ryan (Bernie Barrow) and he tried to keep Delia (Ilene Kristen) on the straight and narrow.

Photo: ABC

In his soap opera career, McCourt also was widely-known for his role of Father Clarence McCourt on All My Children especially come Christmastime. Was Clarence, actually St. Nick? That was always the proverbial question. McCourt also appeared on the New York soaps: One Life To Live, Search For Tomorrow and Another World. Other roles included: Devil’s Own, Brewster’s Millions, The Molly Maguires, and Starman, to name 

Later in 2006, Malachy ran for governor of the state of New York as a Green Party candidate. He tackled social issues of the time including being an advocate for gay and lesbian groups to march in the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Photo: ABC

McCourt’s childhood was recounted within his brother Frank McCourt’s Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir Angela’s Ashes, which detailed their mother’s attempt to raise the four of their surviving seven children in poverty in Limerick, Ireland. Later, Malachy wrote his own memoirs: 1998’s Monk Swimming, and 2000’s Singing My Him Song.

Malachy is survived by his aforementioned wife, Diana, daughter Siobhan McCourt; sons Malachy Jr., Conor and Cormac; stepdaughter Nina Galin; nine grandchildren; and one great-grandson.

Share you remembrances and condolences for Malachy McCourt via the comment section, but first check out this scene from a 1983 episode of “Ryan’s Hope” featuring the late actor with Ilene Kristen.

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All My Children

‘Live with Kelly and Mark’s’ Annual ‘After the Oscars’ Show Brings Backstage Interviews, Fashion Review and Red Carpet Arrivals from Movie’s Biggest Night

Monday morning, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos took to the stage at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood for the talk show’s annual Oscar post show.

However, this time it would be Consuelos’ first time as the co-host of ‘Live’ for an Oscars episode. Mark took over the gig from Ryan Seacrest to team with his wife back in April of 2023 and since then the show has seen a ratings spike hitting several all-time highs.

The After the Oscars show opened with a tribute to the movies were the former All My Children stars took on iconic roles from: Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct to Barbie and Ken in Barbie, to the Cameron Diaz and Ben Stiller role’s in the romantic comedy Something About Mary and more.

Courtesy/DisneyABC

During After the Oscars, Kelly and Mark were shown in clips backstage as the first stop for the newly-anointed Academy Award winners including: Finneas and Billie Eilish and Da’Vine Joy Randolph. The Bachelor host, Jesse Palmer was the talk show’s guest correspondent who spoke to the nominees, and celebrities as they were entering the Dolby Theatre on Sunday night.

Singer Andy Grammar took to the stage and performed on Live’s  After the Oscars show as well, and Project Runaway’s Elaine Welteroth shared her thoughts on the night’s Oscar fashion.

You can watch the full ‘Live with Kelly and Mark After the Oscars’ show below, plus the full movie parody below that. Now let us know, what do you think of Kelly and Mark’s first post-Oscar show together on ‘Live’? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

 

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All My Children

EXCLUSIVE: Jacob Young, Joan Collins and Nadia Bjorlin to Prague to Film ‘Murder Between Friends’

On Thursday night during the Michael Fairman Channel’s livestream interview centering around Jason Cook’s (ex-Shawn, DAYS and ex-Matt, GH) latest movie Four For Fun which stars Brytni Sarpy (Elena, Y&R) and Jacob Young (ex-JR, AMC, ex-Rick, B&B and ex-Lucky, GH), revealed another upcoming film project with some very familiar faces.

Jacob Young shared an exclusive that he is set to direct, produce and star in a Agatha Christie-like murder mystery feature film aptly tiled Murder Between Friends.

Speaking on the upcoming project, Jacob said, “I’m flying at the end of the March to Prague to direct, produce and star in a film with Joan Collins (ex-Dynasty). Nadia Bjorlin (ex-Chloe, Days of our Lives) is in it, and Toby Alexander Smith from Eastenders (ex-Gray Atkins). Plus, a couple of my Broadway friends and a very well known Czech actress (Hana Vagnerova).”

Photo: BBC

According to Jacob, the production start date is April 1st. He added on the premise of the film, “It’s very Agatha Christie sort of ‘Knives Out’ without having a hundred million dollars to shoot it, but still will be a lovely film nonetheless.” Young said the plan is to finish all principal photography by April 17th.

Photo: JPI

IMDb has more on the film. It shared that former All My Children star Trent Garrett (ex-Asher Pike) is listed as co-directing the feature. Mark Rozzano is listed as writer of Murder Between Friends.

So, what do you think about this upcoming feature from Jacob that will feature Joan Collins, Nadia Bjorlin et al? Share your thoughts in the comment section. 

Then below, check out the full livestream conversation with Jason Cook, Brytni Sarpy and Jacob Young on ‘Four For Fun’ and their notable soap roles.

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