Kathie Lee Gifford and Kelly Ripa spent their mornings paying tribute to the one man they managed to share –Regis Philbin. As we told you, the 88-year-old died on Friday. We found out yesterday that he actually succumbed to heart disease.
Gifford – who hosted “Live with Regis and Kathie Lee” from 1985 to 2000 – was on Today talking about the man she described as her best friend. She said that she’d invited Regis and his wife, Joy, to her house for lunch. “I sensed much more fragility than I'd seen in him since the last time in January out in Los Angeles,” she said. “We sat right here on my screened porch, and we laughed ourselves sick. We always picked up right where we left off. ... After they left I just thought to myself, ‘Lord, is that the last time I'm going to see my friend?’ Because he was failing, I could tell.” When Kathie was asked what she’d miss about her former co-host, she replied, “Everything.”
Meanwhile, Kelly and Ryan Seacrest celebrated the man who broke the Guinness World Record for the hours on live TV with a video tribute on Live with Kelly and Ryan. She also was quite emotional as she described Regis, whom she hoped would live forever. Ryan also spoke on how much he admired the legend.
Ripa also announced that Phibin would be laid to rest on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, his alma mater.