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Legendary talk show host Jerry Springer has passed away at the age of 79.
According to TMZ, the outlet’s sources say he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer over the past few months. Things, unfortunately, took a turn for the worst this week, the outlet reports.
A family spokesperson told the outlet that he reportedly passed away at his home in the Chicago area.
Springer launched to widespread infamy thanks to his wildly popular show, ‘The Jerry Springer Show,’ known for its outrageous guests who typically got into fights. At the same time, the audience would cheer, “Jerry, Jerry, Jerry!”
He hosted the nationally syndicated show for a whopping 27 years.
Most people may not know, but Springer began his career in politics before entering the world of entertainment.
In 1970, he ran for U.S. Congress but ultimately didn’t win.
The following year, Springer got elected to Cincinnati’s City Council before rising to the ranks of the city’s mayor in 1977, where he served one term, according to the outlet.
He would eventually become a national sensation after his show debuted in 1991.
The program initially centered on political issues before pivoting to the shock-talk show format he became well-known for.
The show was so wildly popular that in the late 1990s, it beat out Oprah Winfrey‘s program in a handful of cities.
It finally went off the air in 2018. His final television show ‘Judge Jerry’ ran for three seasons before being canceled in March 2022.
Jerry’s final television appearance came on the last season of ‘The Masked Singer.’
He was eliminated after singing “The Way You Look Tonight” by Frank Sinatra.
