In loving memory. Kelly Ripa honored her former Live! With Regis and Kelly cohost, Regis Philbin, following news of the late talk show host’s death.
The All My Children alum, 49, shared a photo of herself, Philbin and Ryan Seacrest via Instagram on Saturday, July 25.
“We are beyond saddened to learn about the loss of Regis Philbin,” she captioned the picture. “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.”
Us Weekly confirmed on Saturday that the Daytime Emmy winner died on Friday, July 24.
“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 said in a statement to Us.
The statement continued, “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.”
Philbin began co-hosting The Morning Show in New York City in 1983. The show eventually changed its name to Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee five years later. Kathie Lee Gifford served as cohost until she left the show in 2001. Ripa took her place and the show’s title changed yet again to Live! With Regis and Kelly.
The New York native left the show in 2011 and Seacrest, 45, joined the show — which was rebranded as Live with Kelly and Ryan — as a permanent co-host in 2017. The American Idol host shared the same tribute to Philbin on his Instagram page.
Philbin revealed in 2017 that he didn’t speak to Ripa after he exited the Emmy winning show in 2011, noting that his departure strained their relationship.
“She got very offended when I left. She thought I was leaving because of her,” Philbin told Larry King at the time. “I was leaving because I was getting older, and it wasn’t right for me anymore.”
He added that he did miss the daily grind of being a talk show host. “I do miss it. There are times when I really miss it, and wish I’d never stopped. But, you know, I just figured it was time to let go.”
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