Phil Donahue, the The groundbreaking daytime talk show host who welcomed audience participation and was willing to tackle any topic from economic theory to adult diaper babies has died. The New York Times reported. He was 88.

Donahue died on Sunday, August 18, at his home in New York City. A family representative, Susan Arons, confirmed his death. An exact cause of death was not given, but the family said he died after a long illness.

The Phil Donahue Show had a remarkable 29-year run between 1967 and 1996, quickly growing from a local production in Dayton, Ohio to a nationally syndicated success. Donahue won 20 Daytime Emmys during its run and at its peak averaged about eight million viewers per episode. Donahue himself also received his own recurring interview segment on Todaybetween 1979 and 1988.

Oprah Winfrey paid tribute to her predecessor on Instagram, writing: “Without Phil Donahue, there would have been no Oprah Show. He was the first to prove that daytime talk and women’s shows should be taken seriously. He was a pioneer. I’m glad I was able to thank him for that. Rest in peace, Phil.”

Before Donahuemany television interviews and talk shows were tightly structured and contained affairs. But early in his career, Donahue decided to invite the audience into his show after chatting with viewers during commercial breaks and realizing they had smart questions of their own. Eventually, Donahue opened the phone lines so viewers at home could call in and ask questions.

Donahue complemented this approach with his own penetrating interviewing style, which could be as skillful as it was blunt. At one point he asked a child with cancer if he was afraid of dying, and in another episode he got a woman to tell her husband on air that she was planning to divorce him. Donahue often coaxed his interviewees with the simple phrase, “We’re here to learn.”

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