This one hurts.
According to TMZ, famed TV host Jerry Springer has passed away at the age of 79.
Springer hosted the iconic The Jerry Springer Show for 27 years, going all the way back to its first season in 1991, where he was known for bringing in wild guests who were typically in some insane scenarios.
The show was initially about politics, but it ultimately transformed into a hilarious smash hit across the country.
It was so popular, that it surpassed Oprah Winfrey’s show in the late ’90s in a number of cities, before it ended for good in 2018.
After the show ended, he starred in a courtroom show called Judge Jerry, and it ran for three seasons.
He also made an appearance on The Masked Singer last season, where he sang the Frank Sinatra classic, “The Beetle.”
Before he made it big time on TV, he was a politician who ran for U.S. Congress in 1970, and got elected to Cincinnati’s City Council in 1971. He was also elected mayor of the city, and ran one term back in 1977.
A family spokesperson says that he was going through a “brief illness,” which one source said was cancer, and he was diagnosed a few months ago.
The spokesperson said he died peacefully in his home this morning in the Chicago area.
Springer is survived by his daughter Katie Springer and his sister Evelyn.
RIP to an all-time legend.
