Beloved television host Regis Philbin has passed away. His family confirmed the heartbreaking news to PEOPLE in a statement. Regis died Friday night (July 24, 2o20) of natural causes — just one month shy of his 89th birthday. TMZ later reported that the cause of death was due to heart disease.

“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,” the Philbin family says.

In 1988, Regis began his iconic career as the host of Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee alongside Kathie Lee Gifford. After 15 years, Kathie Lee left the ABC show but the pair remained close after her departure.

View this post on Instagram

There are no words to fully express the love I have for my precious friend, Regis. I simply adored him and every day with him was a gift. We spent 15 years together bantering and bickering and laughing ourselves silly—a tradition and a friendship we shared up to this very day. I smile knowing somewhere in Heaven, at this very moment, he’s making someone laugh. It brings me great comfort knowing that he had a personal relationship with his Lord that brought him great peace. I send all the love in my heart to Joy, to his children, to the rest of his family and to the innumerable people he touched over his legendary life. There has never been anyone like him. And there never will be.

A post shared by Kathie Lee Gifford (@kathielgifford) on Jul 25, 2020 at 2:37pm PDT

In 2001, the franchise became Live! with Regis and Kelly, co-starring Kelly Ripa before he left in 2011 after 23 years on-air.

View this post on Instagram

We are beyond saddened to learn about the loss of Regis Philbin. He was the ultimate class act, bringing his laughter and joy into our homes everyday on Live for more than 23 years. We were beyond lucky to have him as a mentor in our careers and aspire everyday to fill his shoes on the show. We send our deepest love and condolences to his family and hope they can find some comfort in knowing he left the world a better place. – Kelly and Ryan

A post shared by Kelly Ripa (@kellyripa) on Jul 25, 2020 at 1:12pm PDT

Regis also served as the original host of the widely popular game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? from 1999 to 2002.

After receiving a sociology degree and serving in the Navy, the Bronx native started his career in show biz as a writer. In 1961, he went on camera with his own local talk show in San Diego, The Regis Philbin Show.