The family of the late great television host Regis Philbin, who passed away on Saturday at the age of 88, spoke out on Monday to talk about how “overwhelmed” by all the support they have received since his death. They also asked for donations to be made to a cause that was close to Philbin’s heart.

“Regis’s family is overwhelmed by the outpouring of love we’ve received. If you’d like to honor Regis’s memory, we kindly ask 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,” a family spokesperson told Fox News on Monday.

Philbin reportedly died of “heart disease” at his home in Connecticut, according to the local Chief Medical Examiner Office. His death was confirmed by his family over the weekend.

“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,” they said in a statement. “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.”

On Monday, Philbin’s former talk show host Kathie Lee Gifford spoke out to pay tribute to him by recalling the last time she saw him. She explained that she recently went to visit him at the home that he shared with his wife Joy.

“I was just so grateful the Lord gave me that final time,” Gifford said. “And it was so precious because when I talked to Joy the day that I found out right after he had passed, she said, ‘Kathie he hadn’t laughed in a long, long time.’ She said, ‘I was so worried about him.'”

“I think he was like Frank,” she added. “He was just ready, you know? … And she said, ‘The day that we came to have lunch with you was the last time I heard him laugh.’ That will forever be a precious gift the Lord gave me, that I got to laugh again with one of my best friends in all my lifetime.”

This piece originally appeared in UpliftingToday.com and is used by permission.

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