According to a statement from his family, Jerry Springer, a renowned talk show presenter and former mayor of Cincinnati, has passed away. He was 79.
Springer battled illness for several years before passing away quietly on Thursday at his suburban Chicago home, according to a family representative.
In one of his last interviews, Jerry Springer said of Cincinnati, "It's in my blood."
The TV program bearing Springer's name was a ratings juggernaut, but it was also notorious for its chair-throwing and tabloid-style drama.
Before ending in 2018, "The Jerry Springer Show" aired more than 4,000 episodes over the course of 27 years.
But in Cincinnati, Springer was well-known for both his skills in politics and his time working as an anchor for WLWT in the 1980s and the early 1990s.
In 1970, Springer ran unsuccessfully for congress before entering politics. He was elected to the Cincinnati Council the following year,
forced to leave in disgrace due to a Northern Kentucky sex scandal three years later, and then was re-elected the following year, proving his widespread support despite the new baggage.