[Yahoo] Jerry Springer, the former Cincinnati news anchor and mayor who came to preside over the controversial and extremely profitable talk show bearing his name, has died. He was 79.Springer died peacefully Thursday at his home in the Chicago suburbs after a brief illness.
“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 Jene Galvin, a lifelong friend and spokesman for the family, in a statement obtained by Variety. “He’s irreplaceable and his loss hurts immensely, but memories of his intellect, heart and humor will live on.”
| Mr. Springer was a very popular city councilman and mayor, back in the 1970s to early 1980s, when we first moved to Cincinnati. Extroverted, fun, a bit wild... I seem to recall he had a call-in radio show during that stage. And of course, the story that his political career stuttered when he went across the river into Kentucky for a bit of extracurricular adventure, then paid the prostitute with a personal check. Even after he left for television, he stayed involved in the local scene. |
| Related: the Cincinnati Enquirer’s obituary. |