Regis Philbin on how he wanted to be remembered

NEW YORK -- Regis Philbin, the genial host who shared his life with television viewers over morning coffee for decades and helped himself and some fans strike it rich with the game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," has died at 88.

Philbin died of natural causes Friday night, his family said.

Back in 2006, Philbin was asked during an interview with the Archive of American Television how he wanted to be remembered.

"I guess, number one, a nice guy who did his best to give you a few laughs and make you feel welcome to the show. A lot of guys really, I get the feeling, don't care whether you like that show or not. I want people to enjoy what I do and understand what I'm doing is for their enjoyment. That's all I can ask for," Philbin said.

"Even I have a little trepidation," he told The Associated Press in 2008, when asked how he does a show every day. "You wake up in the morning and you say, 'What did I do last night that I can talk about? What's new in the paper? How are we gonna fill that 20 minutes?'"

OBITUARY: Regis Philbin, legendary TV personality, dies at 88

"I'm not gonna say it always works out brilliantly, but somehow we connect more often than we don't," he added.

Philbin said he saw "getting the best out of your guests" as "a specialty. ... The time constraints mean you've got to get right to the point, you've got to make it pay off, go to commercial, start again. Play that clip. Say goodbye."

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.