Marlo Thomas Revealed the Secret to Her Lasting Marriage With Husband Phil Donahue Before His Death

Marlo Thomas is mourning the loss of her husband of 44 years, legendary talk show host Phil Donahue, who was loved and respected by many. Phil died at 88 on August 18 following a long illness, his family announced in a statement on Monday, August 19. One thing fans always admired about the history-making broadcaster was how dedicated he was to Marlo and their family.

The That Girl actress once revealed the secret to her lasting marriage with Phil during an April 2020 interview with Closer, explaining that communication was key.

“In the beginning, we argued hot and heavy because we were in more of a power struggle,” she said. “As years went by, we settled into debating or arguing in a better, calmer way.”

Marlo also explained that over the years, one of the biggest things she learned was to “listen to what somebody doesn’t say.”

“It’s hard for men to express themselves — especially a guy raised in the ’40s and ’50s,” she said at the time. “I was always offering my husband advice and after about 10 years, he finally said to me, ‘I don’t want you to tell me what to do, I just want you to listen.’”

For Phil, the key to making their marriage work for four decades was simple: “You have to want [it,]” he said.

Phil was a dad of five kids, Michael, Kevin, Daniel, Mary Rose and James, whom he welcomed with his first wife, Margaret Cooney. Following their 1975 divorce, his four sons went to live with him in Chicago, while his daughter went to live with her mother in New Mexico.

After news of Phil’s passing was announced to the public, Marlo shared a statement on her Instagram page about her late husband.

“I’m sure by now you’ve heard the very sad news that I lost my sweetheart last night, so I know you understand that I’ll be stepping away from this page for a while to take care of myself and the many people who took care of Phil, and held him close to their hearts,” she wrote.

“But I didn’t want to disappear without saying thank you for the beautiful messages of love and support that have been coming in all day, and for the wonderful and generous way that you’ve let Phil and me share our life adventure with you over the years,” the statement continued. “As a man who spent his career loving his audiences, Phil got such a kick out of our cozy little community here, and I know he would be very touched by the heartwarming thoughts and memories you’ve been sharing.”

“Until I return, I wish you good health and happy days in the company of family and friends, and I hope that you will continue to hold close those you cherish most, just as I was blessed to do with my beloved Phillip,” she concluded before remarking that the picture she chose to post with her caption is one of her favorite photos of her and her husband on vacation.