‘TV icon’: Tributes as US talk show host Jerry Springer dies
Jerry Springer, the legendary American TV host, has died at the age of 79.
His family confirmed that he died peacefully on Thursday at his home in the Chicago area, following a brief illness.
Jene Galvin, a lifelong friend and spokesman for the family, said in a statement: “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.
“He’s irreplaceable and his loss hurts immensely, but memories of his intellect, heart and humour will live on.”
A politician-turned-presenter, he was most famous for his eponymous tabloid talk show, The Jerry Springer Show, which he always ended with the catchphrase: “Take care of yourself and each other.”
Synonymous with strippers, food-fights and punch-ups, it was once named the worst show in the history of television, but proved to be ratings gold.
It aired for 27 seasons and there were nearly 5,000 episodes from 1991 to 2018. A UK version of the show was made in 1999, and Too Hot For TV videos and DVDs were also released.
More from US
-
‘Donald Trump raped me,’ accuser E Jean Carroll tells New York court
-
Tucker Carlson breaks silence after leaving Fox News
-
Elizabeth Holmes: Disgraced Theranos founder delays going to jail after winning appeal
With infamous episodes including The Man Who Married A Horse and My Girlfriend Is A Man, the show even inspired its own musical, Jerry Springer: The Opera.
Remaining salacious to the end, some of its last episodes had titles including Stripper Sex Turned Me Straight, Stop Pimpin’ My Twin Sister, and Hooking Up With My Therapist.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Frequently derided as low-brow TV, and criticised for its exploitative nature, Springer always stood by his show, describing it as a rebellion against the elite, in a world where only the rich and famous were considered worthy for screen time.
Speaking to Sky News in 2019, Springer defended the show’s contributors, who he said were frequently dismissed as “trash,” saying he preferred to see them as “regular people involved in crazy situations”.
He went on to say that late-night US television was full of the “wealthy, famous and good looking”, adding: “They come on and talk about the exact same things we hear on my show. They talk about who they slept with, what drugs they’ve been on, what misbehaviour they’ve had… And we think they’re godlike.
“When someone’s not wealthy, not good looking and doesn’t speak the Queen’s English, we call them trash. That’s elitist”.
Rejecting a celebrity label himself, he described himself as “a schlub who got lucky,” and in a nod to his detractors, his Twitter bio reads: “Talk show host, ringmaster of civilization’s end.”
Away from The Jerry Springer Show, he was a popular contestant on Dancing With The Stars (the US version of Strictly Come Dancing) in 2006 and hosted America’s Got Talent from 2007 to 2008.
Born Gerald Norman Springer in February 1944, he had an unusual start to life, with his mother giving birth in Highgate tube station in north London.
His parents, who were German-Jewish refugees, were in the station sheltering from a German bombing raid during the Second World War at the time.
Springer went on to move to Queens, New York, aged four, along with his parents and older sister.
He later studied political science at Tulane University in Louisiana and got a law degree from Northwestern University in Illinois, before serving in the US Army Reserves.
He went on to work as a political campaign adviser for Robert F Kennedy’s 1968 presidential campaign, before joining a Cincinnati law firm and then being elected to city council.
A lifelong Democrat, he was mayor of Cincinnati from 1977 to 1978, and considered running for the Senate in 2003. He also considered running for governor of Ohio as recently as 2017, but decided against it.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
A news anchor in the early years of his career, it was during his time presenting the news that he came up with his signature sign-off line “Take care of yourself, and each other,” which would later become his Final Thought on Jerry Springer.
As well as cameos as himself in various TV shows and films, he also briefly played Billy Flynn in Chicago in London’s West End.
Other broadcast work included the Judge Jerry Show, the Springer on the Radio Show, Baggage, the Jerry Springer Podcast and until recently a 60s folk music radio show in Cincinnati.
A funeral service and memorial is currently being organised by Springer’s family, who have asked that instead of sending flowers, well-wishers “consider following his spirit and make a donation or commit to an act of kindness to someone in need or a worthy advocacy organisation”.
Springer leaves behind one daughter, Katie.
