He was proud of his most famous hosting gigs on Live With Regis & Kelly and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, but late TV legend Regis Philbin was even more proud to be the father of his four kids.
The icon became a dad when he welcomed his first daughter, Amy Philbin, in 1961. At the time, Regis was married to actress Catherine “Kay” Faylen, whom he tied the knot with in 1955. Nearly six years following the birth of their first child, Regis became a dad of two after welcoming his son, Daniel Philbin, in 1967. Sadly, The Regis Philbin Show host and Kay divorced in 1968 after almost 13 years of marriage.
His love life wasn’t over just yet, though. Just a year following his divorce, Regis married his second wife, Joy Philbin. The couple wed in 1970 and shortly after welcomed two children together.
In 1973, Regis and Joy became the parents to their daughter, Joanna Philbin. Not even two years later, Regis became the proud dad of four after welcoming his third daughter, J.J. Philbin.
After Regis’ death on July 24, his family released a statement to pay tribute to the TV personality. “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 loved ones told Us Weekly shortly after his passing. “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.”
He may have received a plethora of awards and accolades throughout his life, but nothing brought happiness to Regis quite like his kids. Just days after his death, Joy and the pair’s daughters, Joanna and J.J., opened up about how much they admired the entertainer.
“He let everyone into his life,” the trio shared with People in late July. “He turned every little daily annoyance and happiness into a story, and he shared all those little stories with people in a joyful and conversational way. It made his audience feel like they were right alongside him — because they were.”
If you’d like to honor Regis’ memory, his family kindly asks that you “make a donation to http://foodbanknyc.org/, to help people in need in his beloved New York, especially his home borough of The Bronx.
Scroll down below to meet the Million Dollar Password host’s four children.
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