Legendary talk show host and former mayor of Cincinnati, Jerry Springer is dead.
He was reported to have died at the age of 79 years.
According to a family statement, Springer died peacefully Thursday at his home in suburban Chicago after a brief illness.
He was best known for his highly controversial and outrageous daytime talk show, “The Jerry Springer Show,” which first aired in 1991. The show featured guests who were often involved in highly sensationalized and controversial topics, such as infidelity, paternity disputes, and violence.
Despite receiving criticism for its content, the show became a cultural phenomenon and ran for 27 seasons.
Prior to his career in television, Jerry Springer was involved in politics, serving as the mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio from 1977 to 1978. He also ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 1970 and for governor of Ohio in 1982. Springer’s political career was marred by scandal when he was caught paying for the services of a sex worker in 1974, leading to his resignation from his post as a city council member.
In addition to his work on television, Jerry Springer has also appeared in several films and television shows, including “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me,” “Dancing with the Stars,” and “America’s Got Talent.” Despite his controversial past and career, Springer has become a pop culture icon and continues to be a popular figure in the entertainment industry.
