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Jerry Springer

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Sad news to share for fans of daytime television, particularly the 90s trend of shock television that made Jerry Springer one of the most popular and controversial personalities of his time.

It was reported early Thursday morning (April 27) by TMZ that Springer passed away at the age of 79. Debuting in 1991, fans loved to tune in to see which guests and topics would grace the screen weekdays until the show officially went off-air in 2018. The popular host of the often controversial, always outrageous “Jerry Springer Show” was a fixture on daytime television for more than two decades.

Despite the archaic nature his TV program adopted during its peak, Springer always managed to close the show with a poignant closing he dubbed the “Final Thought.”

One especially moving outro brought the veteran personality to tears. Take a look below.

Although he’ll be best remembered for his time on the tube, Springer’s life was an interesting one: Springer served as a a political campaign adviser to Robert F. Kennedy, and after Kennedy’s assassination, he began practicing law at firm in Cincinnati.

He also worked as a journalist and, in 1970, he ran for congress. One year later to he was elected to Cincinnati City Council. But his time on the council would be short lived: In 1974 he resigned after admitting to soliciting a prostitute.

He went on to serve one year as mayor of Cincinnati for one year and had a failed attempt at a run for the governor of Ohio.

In 1991, Springer entered the world of broadcast journalism, and by the end of the decade, he would become one of the most recognizable faces on television.