Daytime TV Legend Jerry Springer has Died at 79
Jerry Springer, the beloved host of the daytime family drama show “The Jerry Springer Show” has died at the age of 79.
Ivy Griffith
Jerry Springer, one of the most well-known faces on daytime television and oft-referee for some of the messiest family drama in modern history, has died at the age of 79.
TMZ confirmed his death early Thursday.
Springer was the host of “The Jerry Springer Show” for 27 years, leading to some of the most shocking, hilarious, and heartbreaking family drama on television in history.
The news outlet says that a family member confirms Springer had been fighting a brief illness, said to be pancreatic cancer, and that he died peacefully at his home in Chicago.
Jerry Springer, one of the most influential and controversial figures in TV history, has died … TMZ has confirmed. https://t.co/PVIcjDcDld
— TMZ (@TMZ) April 27, 2023
While only reruns will remain to fill fan thirst for hearing the infamous, “Jerry! Jerry! Jerry” chants now, Springer’s legacy is both enormous and complicated.
Through the years, the show received criticism for being a vehicle for toxic family behavior, and was often criticized for being fake.
But Springer, who watched his show morph from a more Maury-type show into the circus it later became, was always a calming figure on stage, and much beloved by fans.
TMZ writes, “Before TV, he was a politician who ran a failed campaign for U.S. Congress in 1970, got elected to Cincinnati’s City Council in 1971 … and became the city’s mayor in 1977. He served one term.
But, Springer became a worldwide sensation with his show … which debuted in 1991. Most people won’t remember this, but when he started Jerry’s show focused on political issues. Of course, it eventually became the exact opposite … and a ratings smash.”
Springer is survived by daughter Katie Springer and his older sister Evelyn.