By Brendan O’Brien
(Reuters) – Longtime talk show host Jerry Springer, who served as Cincinnati mayor for a brief time in the 1970s, died at age 79 on Thursday, local media reported, citing a statement from his family.
Springer died peacefully at his home in suburban Chicago, according to WLWT 5, the NBC Cincinnati affiliate where he became a news anchor after his stint as mayor. The cause of death was not specified.
In 1991, Springer landed his own television program, a syndicated talk show broadcast across the United States until 2018.
The daytime program, known as The Jerry Springer Show, was initially a politically oriented show but later featured everyday people discussing sensationalistic topics, often related to unconventional sexuality.
“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,” said family spokesman Jene Galvin in a statement to the station.
(Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar and Farouq Suleiman, Editing by Kylie MacLellan and Howard Goller)
