by Ted Sherman

Created on: July 27, 2008   Last Updated: July 28, 2008

Yes: Philbin's official age is 75, and he looks, speaks and acts much younger. However, some people believe he's at least five years older. They claim that in the 1960s during his radio disk jockey days, Regis often talked about serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II. If so, and he claims he's only 75 today, he had to be about 12 years old at the time the war ended.

Regis has worked hard to get to the top of his profession, and deserves all the admiration he get from his millions of fans. He's always been an excellent TV host, a convincing pitchman and one of TV's busiest talk and quiz show personalities. But, after all kinds of heart problems and recent serious heart surgery, maybe it's time for Regis to consider getting out before they carry him out.

His current morning co-host, Kelly Ripa, has told the media she missed him when he was away recovering from his surgery, and was very happy when he returned. But what does the bouncy young blonde really think about working with the old guy? Will his age and ailments catch up to him so that she'll have to spend every morning for the next couple of years wiping drool off his face and helping him change his adult-sized diapers?

Regis is certainly not hanging around because he needs the money. He has more irons in the financial fire than anyone one else in show business. You can't turn on the tube day, evening or late night without seeing Regis hawking some product that will make hair sprout, the old look young, the fat grow thin or whatever chatchka product that will load more bucks onto his already bulging bank account. In addition to all his other duties, he does frequent infomercials, including several that peddle videos of the old Dean Martin TV show and Friars Club roasts. They all feature long-dead celebrities, including Lucille Ball, Frank Sinatra, Milton Berle and others who insisted on staying in the show business spotlight long after they should have retired. Get the idea, Regis?

From all medical reports, and by seeing his face and listening to his peppy voice appearing all over TV, it seems Regis has fully recovered from his triple coronary-bypass surgery. He should be asking himself the obvious question. Should he be jumping back into the heavy schedules of TV or taking it easy out on the golf course?

What is Regis waiting for ... some young guy to donate his heart for a transplant, so the old trouper can go another 75 years? Hey, Philbin, give it up! It's time to settle down on that comfortable, money-stuffed mattress of yours, let the hair dye and Botox fade, and allow younger guys, maybe some mere kids of 50 or 60, to earn some of those big bucks.

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