One of the most controversial, eccentric, and ultimately influential television personalities has died.

Thursday morning, Jerry Springer, best known for hosting “The Jerry Springer Show,” passed away at the age of 79.

According to TMZ, which revealed the news, Springer perished after his battle with pancreatic cancer took a turn for the worse.

Reportedly, Springer was diagnosed with cancer several months ago.

A member of Springer’s family characterized his health issues as a “brief illness.”

This same representative added that Springer died peacefully in his residence in the Chicago area.

Although Springer is best known for moderating his rambunctious talk show, he first came to public attention as a politician.

In fact, Springer ran for Congress and served as mayor of Cincinnati in the 1970s, but both of these endeavors were unsuccessful.

But while Springer’s political career was relatively subdued, the same cannot be said about “The Jerry Springer Show” — or at least what it ultimately became.

According to TMZ, “The Jerry Springer Show” was originally a political pulpit where politics (and not paternity testing) were the topics of the day.

When that version of the program failed to generate significant ratings, it was redesigned to its current form.

For the uninitiated, “The Jerry Springer Show” rose to prominence on the strength of explicit content, scantily clad women (if not outright nudity), controversial topics (incest, polyamorous relationships, adultery), and the nearly iconic studio audience chant:

“Jer-ry! Jer-ry! Jer-ry!”

While Springer’s show eventually became a ratings success in its own right (there was a stretch in the mid-1990s where his show was regularly drawing more viewers than Oprah Winfrey’s massive show in certain cities), the most lasting impact of his show might be the “car crash television”-influence it wielded. CONTINUE READING…