His cause of death wasn’t disclosed. Loved ones said he’d been suffering from a “long illness.”

Phil Donahue, an innovative TV host who rose to fame in the late 1960s after he was the first person to interact with a studio audience on a talk show and brought new ideas into American living rooms, died Sunday, his family said.

He was 88.

The cause of death was not immediately disclosed. His family said he’d been suffering from a “long illness.”

“Groundbreaking TV talk show journalist Phil Donahue died Sunday night at home surrounded by his wife of 44 years Marlo Thomas, his sister, his children, grandchildren and his beloved golden retriever Charlie,” his family said in a statement.

“Donahue was 88 years old and passed away peacefully following a long illness.”

Thomas posted to Instagram on Monday to tell her followers she’d be stepping away from her page a while to take care of herself.

She wrote that she didn’t want to leave without expressing gratitude for the support she has received and the “wonderful and generous way that you’ve let Phil and me share our life adventure with you over the years.”