Kelly Ripa’s tribute to Phil Donahue after death at 88

Kelly Ripa dedicated a heartfelt tribute to Phil Donahue after his death at age 88.

“Good friends are hard to come by and even harder to lose,” Ripa, 53, shared in an Instagram post on Monday, August 19. “To a life well lived.”

The post featured a snap of herself along with husband Mark Consuelos, whom she got married to back in 1996, with the late talk show host and his wife, Marlo Thomas.

Ripa added, “We love you Marlo and will miss Phil eternally #ripphildonahue.”

The Phil Donahue Show host “passed away peacefully following a long illness,” according to what his family confirmed in a statement on Monday.

Donahue passed away with his wife of 44 years, Thomas, and “his sister, his children, grandchildren and his beloved golden retriever, Charlie,” by his side.

Ripa and Consuelos snapped the picture with Donohue and Thomas back in April 2021, while interviewing them on Double Date with Marlo Thomas & Phil Donahue podcast.

“All my girlfriends got married. I was a bridesmaid a million times,” Thomas shared about when she thought marriage was not her thing.

“[I said,] ‘I’m gonna be an actress. I’m free, I’m going to London to live for a year and do a play. I’m going to do this, I’m going to do that.’ [A relationship] just wasn’t for me. And then I met Mr. Blue Eyes here and it was like, ‘Maybe I do like this.’”