April 27 (UPI) -- Longtime talk-show host Jerry Springer has died He was 79. His publicist, Linda Shafran confirmed his passing to NBC News.
"Jerry's ability to connect with people was at the heart of his success in everything he tried whether that was politics, broadcasting or just joking with people on the street who wanted a photo or a word," Jene Galvin, a spokesman for the family, said in a statement obtained by Rolling Stone. "He's irreplaceable and his loss hurts immensely, but memories of his intellect, heart and humor will live on."
Though no cause of death was given, recent reports say Springer was diagnosed with cancer. One of his last public appearances was at the Rough Riders St. Patrick's Day parade in Ybor City, Fla., last month.
Springer was a politician who was once mayor of Cincinnati but found his greatest fame as the host of The Jerry Springer Show, the popular but controversial daytime TV colossus. It ran in syndication from 1991 to 2008.
Springer's show exposed cheating boyfriends and girlfriends and deadbeat fathers, providing on-screen paternity tests leading to chants of "You are the father," when paternity was established, or the opposite when it was not.
Its producers were alleged to encourage guest fights and its raucous audience cheered things on with the chant of "Jerry, Jerry, Jerry" during the show's most confrontational moments.
Though The Jerry Springer Show ended its run in 2018, it still lives on YouTube and via an official Instagram account that shows clips from past shows. Titles like "I'm Here to Marry My Stepson," "I Hooked Up With My Wife's Mother" and "You're Cheating on Me With My Coworker" are just a few examples of the kinds of shows that were regularly aired.
During its peak in the '90s, the show was watched by 12 million viewers daily.
Springer didn't start out as a talk show host but as a politician. He was born Gerald Norman Springer in London on Feb. 13, 1944, the son of Holocaust survivors who settled in Queens, N.Y. He graduated from Tulane University and earned a law degree at Northwestern University. Springer's first job in politics was as a campaign adviser to Robert F. Kennedy in 1968.
He moved to Cincinnati and then up through the city's political ranks, becoming a city councilman and then mayor from 1977-1978. He was forced to leave the position after it was revealed he was paying prostitutes for sex. After a failed bid for governor, Springer turned to television, becoming a news anchor so popular he was eventually offered his own show.
It was middling along when he decided to boost ratings by changing focus. The trashy tabloid angle worked.
"It was the first time we saw regular people on television," Springer said on Today in 2019, saying he had no regrets about his eponymous show's success. "If you're honest, you're not criticizing what they're talking about because celebrities will do the exact same things.
He added, "Celebrities will go on the late-night shows talking about who they slept with and what their life has been like, what drugs they've been using what misbehavior they've had and we can't buy their albums quickly enough, we can't go to their movies quickly enough. Why? Because if you're rich, if you're famous if you're good-looking, we give you a pass."
Springer moved on from the show that made him famous, becoming Judge Jerry on Court TV in 2019. He also appeared on The Masked Singer, Dancing with the Stars, and hosted America's Got Talent in its second season.
"To remember Jerry, the family asks that in lieu of flowers you consider following his spirit and make a donation or commit to an act of kindness to someone in need or a worthy advocacy organization," Galvin added. "As he always said, 'Take care of yourself, and each other.'"
