US TV personality Regis Philbin dies at 88

Regis Philbin, genial host who shared his life with American television viewers over morning coffee for decades and host to game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” has died at 88. Philbin died of natural causes Friday night, just over a month before his 89th birthday, according to a statement from his family provided by manr Lewis Kay.

Celebrities routinely stopped by Philbin’s eponymous syndicated morning show, but its heart was in first 15 minutes, when he and co-host Kathie Lee Gifford - on “Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee” from 1985-2000 - or Kelly Ripa - on “Live! with Regis and Kelly” from 2001 until his 2011 retirement - bantered about events of day.

He was host of prime-time game show, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” briefly television’s most popular show at turn of century. Philbin’s question to contestants, “Is that your final answer?” became a national catchphrase. “You wait a lifetime for something like that and sometimes it never happens,” Philbin told AP in 1999.

In 2008, he returned briefly to quiz show format with “Million Dollar Password.” He also picked up Lifetime Achievement Award from daytime Emmys. He's survived by his wife, Joy, and ir daughters J.J. and Joanna Philbin, as well as his daughter Amy Philbin with his first wife, Carine Faylen, according to People.