Legendary television personality Regis Philbin passed away at the age of 88 on Friday due to cardiovascular disease. The former Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee host has an extensive history with the professional wrestling business, bringing numerous stars onto his shows like Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper and The Ultimate Warrior. WWE released a statement on Saturday regarding Philbin’s death, writing, “WWE is saddened to learn that legendary entertainment figure Regis Philbin has passed away at age 88.
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“WWE Superstars were frequent guests on Philbin’s morning show, ‘Live with Regis and Kathie Lee,’ including Ultimate Warrior, ‘Ravishing’ Rick Rude, ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage, John Cena and many more. Philbin even battled the massive Yokozuna in an epic tug-of-war on an episode. The TV icon was also a memorable presence at WrestleMania VII where he conducted backstage interviews and provided commentary for the main event showdown between WWE Champion Sgt. Slaughter and Hulk Hogan. Regis also appeared on the historic Raw 1000, sending a classy congratulatory message to WWE. WWE extends its condolences to Philbin’s family, friends and fans.”
Philbin’s family released a statement to PEOPLE on Saturday.
“We are deeply saddened to share that our beloved Regis Philbin passed away last night of natural causes, one month shy of his 89th birthday. His family and friends are forever grateful for the time we got to spend with him — for his warmth, his legendary sense of humor, and his singular ability to make every day into something worth talking about. We thank his fans and admirers for their incredible support over his 60-year career and ask for privacy as we mourn his loss,” the statement read.
Philbin is survived by his daughters J.J. Philbin, Joanna Philbin, and Amy Philbin.
WWE’s schedule this week will kick off with a loaded episode of Monday Night Raw. Drew McIntyre will defend his WWE Championship against Dolph Ziggler, Sasha Banks will challenge Asuka for the Raw Women’s Championship and Ricochet & Cedric Alexander, The Viking Raiders and Andrade & Angel Garza will battle for a Raw Tag Team Championship match at SummerSlam.
