Photo:Lou Rocco/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
Lou Rocco/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
The Viewco-hosts are paying their respects to the show’s co-creatorBill Geddie.
Sherri Shepherd— who co-hosted ABC talk show from 2007 to 2014 — recalled how the late television producer guided her throughout her career, she shared in a statement to PEOPLE, “I am absolutely devastated. Bill Geddie took a chance on me and believed in me and fought for me.”
“He had a wonderful sense of humor and his advice took me through my first season of ‘The Sherri Show,’ ” Shepherd, 56, continued. “He was my mentor and my friend.”
“My friend & mentor Bill Geddie has transitioned at 68. Bill was the 1st person to believe that I could be a national talk show host,” Hostin, 54, shared. “He told me after an audition forThe View‘you were sitting there watching the show instead of being on the show. Lean in like I know you can.’ ”
On Instagram,Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who co-hostedThe Viewfrom 2003 to 2013, remembered Geddie as “an authentic supporter of the voices of women on television, and challenged us daily to think and speak independently for the decade we worked together.”
“I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity that both Bill Geddie and Barbara Walters gave me. He will be missed and my heart goes out to his family,” Hasselbeck, 46, added.
Debbie Matenopoulos — who was one of the original hosts ofThe View— reacted to the news on her Instagram Story, writing, “Can’t believe this is true. Can’t stop crying. This does not seem real. We were just texting [three] days ago about the show we were producing together. My heart is broken. There are no words.”
The television personality also shared a lengthy post onInstagramto honor Geddie, writing in part, “You changed the trajectory of my life FOREVER. I listened to you and Barbara’s every word and only ever wanted to make both of you proud of me. Over the years our relationship grew from mentor to friend, to mutual respect and admiration as colleagues, to in the last 3 years collaborators and producing partners.”
“I felt like we had come full circle and we were finally home again,” she continued. “You would make me laugh out loud with you jokes and your wit and your no bulls— approach to everything. I was so so so happy to be in your presence again.”
The View’s official Twitter page also released astatement, sharing, “It’s with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of ‘The View’ co-creator and one of television’s most well-respected producers, Bill Geddie.”
Lou Rocco/ABC via Getty
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Geddie, a four-timeEmmywinner, was best known for co-creatingThe ViewwithBarbara Walters, which launched in 1997 featuring Walters,Meredith Vieira,Star Jones, Behar and Matenopoulos as panelists.
He remained on the talk show until 2014, earning 13 Daytime Emmy nominations throughout his tenure. In 2012, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 39th Daytime Emmy Awards.
source: people.com
