# Regis Philbin has died **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 25, 2020, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regis-philbin-has-died/916337 "2020-07-25T20:07:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regis-philbin-has-died/916337/1 "2020-07-25T20:07:39Z")
[Citation here.](https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/25/entertainment/regis-philbin-dies/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regis-philbin-has-died/916337/2 "2020-07-25T20:08:13Z")
Final answer. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regis-philbin-has-died/916337/3 "2020-07-25T20:19:52Z")
I guess he used up all his lifelines? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regis-philbin-has-died/916337/4 "2020-07-25T20:26:40Z")
So, the record for “most hours on TV” when I was a kid was Hugh Downs. He died recently, but the record was no longer his. It was Regis. Regis still holds the record, but what living person has the most hours on TV? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regis-philbin-has-died/916337/5 "2020-07-25T20:35:44Z")
Pat Sejak, I’ll bet. With Alex Trebek a close second. I wonder if they have coffee table books in the afterlife? 🤨 RIP ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regis-philbin-has-died/916337/6 "2020-07-25T20:44:05Z")
They said natural causes, but the coroner will give us the final answer. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regis-philbin-has-died/916337/7 "2020-07-25T20:48:53Z")
I would not have guessed he was 88, thought he was younger – 79? Brian ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regis-philbin-has-died/916337/8 "2020-07-25T21:10:42Z")
Bob Barker was on TV for a long time every day. 1956 to 2007 that’s a lot of shows . ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regis-philbin-has-died/916337/9 "2020-07-25T21:12:29Z")
I met him in 1962 when he was only locally well known, in San Diego. Channel 10, with his first very low budget talk show. He wouldn’t hit the big time for another few years. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regis-philbin-has-died/916337/10 "2020-07-25T21:36:21Z")
What an impressive career this guy had, he really goes back to the time when TV formats were being invented left and right, and he was there doing it. Truly amazing. I did meet him…I was on WWTBAM and briefly in the hot seat back when he hosted. Not the best memory for me, but the guy was definitely a great showman. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regis-philbin-has-died/916337/11 "2020-07-25T22:03:36Z")
Regis was a guest on the new Millionaire premier with Jimmy Kimmel. That was filmed a few months ago. Regis looked the same and still very sharp. He was walking a bit slower. He didn’t seem like a 88 year old guy. He had a great career. I occasionally watched him with Kathie Lee. He always played the likeable curmudgeon. Telling us about something that irritated him. RIP Regis ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regis-philbin-has-died/916337/12 "2020-07-25T23:21:41Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > I would not have guessed he was 88, thought he was younger – 79? > > Brian Really? I would’ve guessed older, in his nineties. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regis-philbin-has-died/916337/13 "2020-07-25T23:29:02Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > He always played the likeable curmudgeon. “I’m only one man!!!” That was his catchphrase, at least during the heyday of _Who Wants to be a Millionaire_, when he was also doing his morning show as well as a lot of promo-appearances for Disney/ABC. I met him at Walt Disney World in the early 90s when he was in the thick of all that heavy-scheduling: his task at the time was to lead an “Aladdin” parade, dressed in Middle-Eastern garb and clowning around as he moved down the avenue. I believe it might have been at what was, at the time, Disney-MGM Studios. At any rate, in person he was pretty much the same as on TV: good-natured, friendly, and sort of semi-curmudgeonly. I met him in the concierge lounge of one of the WDW hotels at the breakfast hour, and he commented on the TV, which tuned to his “Regis and Kathie Lee” show. He said “oh, there’s the show, I NEVER see the show.” As heavily-scheduled as he was at that time, I found his protestations believable. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regis-philbin-has-died/916337/14 "2020-07-26T04:11:16Z")
He was a friend of Frank, a friend of mine, and came to our small Ohio River town several times over the years at the request of Frank to help out with, and bring some star power to, various events - gratis, I believe. Thanks, Regis, and may you rest in peace.