Goodbye Mike

Mike Douglas, Former Television Talk Show Host, Dies, AP Says
Aug. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Mike Douglas, a former television talk show host and singer, died today in Florida, the Associated Press reported, citing his wife, Genevieve. Today was his 81st birthday.
Douglas died in a Palm Beach Gardens hospital at 5:30 a.m. after being admitted yesterday, AP said, citing his wife. She said Douglas had been receiving treatment for dehydration for the past few weeks, although his death was a surprise, AP reported.
Douglas hosted guests and performed big-band music on ``The Mike Douglas Show'' from 1961 to 1982. He interviewed seven former, sitting or future presidents, talked to Tiger Woods when the golfer was in preschool, and hosted about 30,000 guests during the show's run, AP said, citing Douglas biographer Tom Kelly.
Born Aug. 11, 1925, Douglas worked as a staff singer at an Oklahoma City radio station before serving in the U.S. Navy in World War II, AP said. Douglas's politeness on air in the 1960s and 1970s stood out from the anger prevalent in America at the time, AP said, citing Tim Brooks, executive vice president for Lifetime Television Network.
(AP 8-11)
Footnote:
I had the pleasure to be in the audience of the Mike Douglas show a few times when I was a teen. It was an awesome experience. He was a nice man who shined a little light on Philadelphia at the time.