Throughout the 1990’s and early 2000’s, popular culture evolved tremendously. Catalyzed by the advent of the internet, it was during this time that the entertainment industry saw a myriad of changes and a tremendous amount of growth that led it to where it is today. Countless stars were born as a byproduct of this and live on in stardom today, recognized for the work they put in decades ago. It is subsequently with great regret that we announce the passing of one of those stars as the iconic Jerry Springer has passed away at the age of 79 after a battle with cancer.
Jerry Springer was born in 1944 in a London train station to German-Jewish parents escaping the holocaust, with both of his grandmothers falling victim in the tragedy that occurred in Europe at the time. His family emigrant to Queens, New York when he was just four years old. Springer would eventually go on to get an undergraduate degree from Tulane University and then his law degree at Northwestern University, eventually becoming a partner at his own law firm from 1973 to 1985. He even attempted to run for Congress in the 1970’s and maintained aspirations of a political career up through the early 2000’s. But it was in 1991 when the television series Jerry Springer was first aired, and a star was born. Notorious for the odd stories it covered and the chaos that ensued in doing so, Jerry Springer aired for 27 seasons and a total of 4,969 with Springer at it’s helm acting as the de facto ringleader of the circus he’d created. But this was a role he thrived in, and Jerry Springer defied all odds to become a household name across America. It is subsequently with great sadness we tell you that Springer passed away at his home earlier today at the age of 79 after a lengthy bout with pancreatic cancer, though we are certain that Springer will live on in entertainment history for the rest of eternity.
While many icons were birthed in the 1990’s, most don’t have the legacy that Jerry Springer has. After thirty years on television Springer’s name essentially became synonymous with the weirdness of America that still captivates television viewers today. Gone but not forgotten, Jerry Springer will be remembered for many years to come.
