Jerry Springer has died aged 79 just months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, his family revealed on Thursday.
The legendary TV host passed away ‘peacefully’ at his home in Chicago after his health took a turn for the worse, a spokesman for his relatives said.
Tributes have flooded in for the ‘irreplaceable’ talent, with his family adding that his ‘heart and humor’ will live on.
Megyn Kelly and Piers Morgan led the tributes for the star, calling him an ‘intelligent, warm’ and ‘funny’ man.
Springer hosted the smash hit ‘The Jerry Springer Show’ for 27 years, becoming America’s guilty pleasure for wild and raucous TV moments.
He also had a wide-ranging political career, even becoming the mayor of Cincinnati in 1977 – and even considered a run for Ohio state governor.
A statement from his family confirmed that he passed away ‘peacefully’ at his home in Chicago after being diagnosed with cancer
Family spokesman Jene Galvin said: ‘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.
‘He’s irreplaceable and his loss hurts immensely, but memories of his intellect, heart and humor will live on.’
On his Twitter profile, Springer jokingly declared himself as ‘Talk show host, ringmaster of civilization´s end.’
He also contended that the people on his show volunteered to be subjected to whatever ridicule or humiliation awaited them.
His audience would cheer his name, as his outrageous guests would get into crazy fights – with many expletive-filled rants being bleeped out.
Springer called it ‘escapist entertainment,’ while others saw the show as contributing to a dumbing-down decline in American social values.
He often told people, tongue in cheek, that his wish for them was ‘may you never be on my show.’
His show was so popular in the 90’s that he even managed to top Oprah Winfrey’s program in several cities.
Springer hosted the smash hit ‘The Jerry Springer Show’ for 27 years, becoming America’s guilty pleasure for wild and raucous TV moments
His audience would cheer his name, as his outrageous guests would get into crazy fights – with many expletive-filled rants being bleeped out
He posted a TikTok to his channel in March, dancing and mimicking lyrics
The show went off the air in 2018, but Springer then created his courtroom show, ‘Judge Jerry,’ which ran for three seasons.
After more than 4,000 episodes, the show never strayed from its core salaciousness – with some of the last episodes titled: ‘Stripper Sex Turned Me Straight,’ ‘Stop Pimpin´ My Twin Sister,’ and ‘Hooking Up With My Therapist.’
In a ‘Too Hot For TV’ video released as his daily show neared 7 million viewers in the late 1990s, Springer offered a defense against disgust.
Springer said: ‘Look, television does not and must not create values. It´s merely a picture of all that’s out there – the good, the bad, the ugly.
‘Believe this: The politicians and companies that seek to control what each of us may watch are a far greater danger to America and our treasured freedom than any of our guests ever were or could be.’
His final TV appearance came on last season’s The Masked Singer, performing as ‘The Beetle’ to sing a Frank Sinatra Classic.
Springer is survived by his daughter Katie, who is deaf and blind, and sister Evelyn.
TV show host Montel Williams reacted to the news of Jerry Springer’s death saying: ‘My thoughts and prayers go out to Jerry Springer’s family.’
In another tribute, Piers Morgan said he loved working and joking with Jerry Springer, writing: ‘Jeez, this sucks. TV icon & such an intelligent, warm, funny man.
‘Loved working with him (on America’s Got Talent), loved hanging out with him (we lived in same hotel for 2yrs), loved arguing with him (he loved his politics), loved everything about him. Gutting.’
Springer called it ‘escapist entertainment,’ while others saw the show as contributing to a dumbing-down decline in American social values
He often told people, tongue in cheek, that his wish for them was ‘may you never be on my show’
Springer first entered the political arena as an aide in Robert F. Kennedy´s ill-fated 1968 presidential campaign
His final TV appearance came on last season’s The Masked Singer, performing as ‘The Beetle’ to sing a Frank Sinatra Classic
Former FOX host turned podcaster Megyn Kelly added: ‘So sad to hear this.
‘He came on my show shortly after we launched and told the best stories about his fascinating life and his deep love for America.’
The star was born in February 1944, in Highgate tube station, London, which his parents were using as a bomb shelter.
His parents, Richard and Margot, were German Jews who fled to England during the Holocaust, in which other relatives were killed in Nazi gas chambers.
They arrived in the United States when he was five and settled in the Queens borough of New York City, where Springer got his first Yankees baseball gear on his way to becoming a lifelong fan.
He studied political science at Tulane University and got a law degree from Northwestern University.
Before becoming an iconic TV personality, the worldwide sensation ran a failed campaign for US Congress in 1970.
Springer first entered the political arena as an aide in Robert F. Kennedy´s ill-fated 1968 presidential campaign.
He was then elected to Cincinnati’s City Council in 1971, but resigned in an ‘abrupt move that shook’ the city’s political community.
Springer was born in February 1944, in Highgate tube station which his parents were using as a bomb shelter
His parents, who were German-Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany, moved to East Finchley in North London in 1939. In 1943, they fell pregnant
Before becoming an iconic TV personality, the worldwide sensation ran a failed campaign for US Congress in 1970
Springer married Micki Velton in 1973 and the couple had a daughter together before splitting in 1994
Springer said the cause was ‘very personal family considerations’, but it was later revealed that he was paying prostitutes with personal checks – which was investigated by cops.
He married Micki Velton the previous year. The couple had a daughter, Katie, and divorced in 1994.
Springer quickly bounced back politically, winning a council seat in 1975 and serving as mayor in 1977.
He became a news anchor and commentator at WLWT before taking on a new role as a talk show host in 1991 when he launched his iconic series.
Along with co-anchor Norma Rashid eventually helped build NBC affiliate WLWT-TV´s broadcast into the Cincinnati market´s top-rated news show.
Springer began his talk show in 1991 with more of a traditional format, but after he left WLWT in 1993, it got a sleazy makeover.
TV Guide ranked it No. 1 on a list of ‘Worst Shows in the History of Television,’ but it was ratings gold.
It made Springer a celebrity who would go on to host a liberal radio talk show and ‘America´s Got Talent,’ star in a movie called ‘Ringmaster,’ and compete on ‘Dancing With the Stars.’
‘With all the joking I do with the show, I´m fully aware and thank God every day that my life has taken this incredible turn because of this silly show,’ Springer said in 2011.
He became a news anchor and commentator at WLWT before taking on a new role as a talk show host in 1991 when he launched his iconic series
Some of the last episodes of the show were titled: ‘Stripper Sex Turned Me Straight,’ ‘Stop Pimpin´ My Twin Sister,’ and ‘Hooking Up With My Therapist’
Before becoming an iconic TV personality, the worldwide sensation ran a failed campaign for US Congress in 1970
He studied political science at Tulane University and got a law degree from Northwestern University
Springer began his talk show in 1991 with more of a traditional format, but after he left WLWT in 1993, it got a sleazy makeover
He even mulled running for Ohio governor in 2003, saying he thought he could draw on ‘non-traditional’ voters.
Springer said: ‘I connect with a whole bunch of people who probably connect more to me right now than to a traditional politician.’
He opposed the war on Iraq and favored expanding public healthcare, but ultimately did not run.