Celebrated American media personality Regis Philbin has died at the age of 88. Mr. Philbin died today one month short of his 89th birthday. Regis Philbin was born on August 25, 1931 in Manhattan, New York , USA. According to Wikipedia, his mother was an ethnic Albanian-Italian while his father was a United States Marine with an Irish ancestry.
Mr. Philbin was a prolific television host and a media personality in the United States whose death will be a loss to the well established mainstream media in the country.
Regis Philbin: Career Profile
Mr. Phibin started his decorated career 32 years ago back in 1988. In that year, he was the host of Live! TV show on ABC News with Kathie Lee Gifford. This Show will be renamed Live! With Regis and Kelly (in reference to Kelly Ripa) in 2001.
On December 2004, Mr. Philbin hosted Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve while Dick Clark was away. Mr. Clark was hospitalized then after undergoing surgery after suffering a debilitating stroke a few days early. On the show, Mr. Philbin jocked that he has shelved his vacations plans just to host the show.
Regis Philbin: Personal Life
Regis Philbin is survived by his wife Joy Senese and daughters Joanna and Jennifer Philbin. Mr. Philbin was previous married to Catherine Faylen, a daughter of actor Frank Faylen from 1956 to 1968. In his marriage to Ms Faylen, they had a son, Daniel Philbin and a daugther Amy Philbin.
Mr. Philbin was an ardent fan of football and baseball. He supported his hometown baseball team, the New York Yankees as well as his alter mater the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Failed Auto Industry Investment
Mr. Philbin invested in the automotive industry when he opened a car dealership in Arizona. However, the dealership called Philbin Ford was unsuccessful as it closed down four years later due to the over-saturation of similar dealerships in the area.
Interesting Facts About Regis Philbin
Apart from being arguably one of the most gifted celebrity media personality, there are some peculiar aspects of Regis Philbin that the public ought to know.
- 1. He Was Technologically Challenged
Regis Philbin was not good with technology at all. One of the most known issue is about his confusion with using remote controls and DVD Players. He also did not use the computer that much other than Googling about home for sale back in 2008. He also did not own any cellphone until the same year. There are some rumors that Mr. Philbin heavily relied on his wife Joy to handle all matters technology for him.
- 2. He Was Not A Shrewed Business Investor.
Although Mr. Philbin was interested in owning his own business, he did not master the basics of operating a successful business. His decision of opening a Ford dealership in a clouded automotive dealership neighborhood in Arizona demonstrates this notion.
- 3. A Gifted Orator and Singer
Does Barack Obama come to your mind when one speaks of the world’s most prolific orator? May be yes, may be not. But what we know is that Regis Philbin was not only a gifted orator, but a competent singer as well. In fact, in 1968, he released a vocal album called It’s Time For Regis! Interestingly enough, Mr. Philbin did not release another song until his infamous When You Are Smiling released after a 36-year hiatus! Now that is interesting indeed.
- 4. World Record Holder in TV Appearances
In 2004, Regis Philbin was awarded the World Record for the Most Hours on Camera by Guinness World Records. He had 15,188 hours after surpassing Hugh Downs. Surprisingly, he broke his own world record five years later in 2009 when he was awarded another record for having the Most Hours On Camera at 16,540. Now that is a lot of screen time!
