Regis Philbin.
(Image credit: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Spike TV)

Longtime and prolific television host Regis Philbin died Friday, his family confirmed to People magazine Saturday. He was 88. In a statement, his family said he died of natural causes.

Philbin is known for hosting the morning show Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee alongside Kathie Lee Gifford from 1985-2000. Philbin continued in the same role after Gifford left and was replaced by Kelly Ripa, who co-hosted Live! with Regis and Kelly until Philbin retired in 2011. Additionally, Philbin hosted Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, which The Associated Press notes was the most popular program in the United States at the turn of the century and helped turn Philbin's career into a very lucrative one.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.