Presenter and politician Jerry Springer has died peacefully in his home in Chicago aged 79, his devastated family has revealed.
The legendary talk show host was a popular face on television, hosting a staggering 27 seasons and nearly 5,000 episodes of The Jerry Springer Show.
Jerry was married for 21 years to his ex-wife Micki Velton, who he met on a blind date in 1969, four years before tying the knot.
But in 1973, just a few months after their wedding, a prostitution scandal rocked their relationship when councilman Jerry admitted to visiting a brothel disguised as a health club.
The married man had just won re-election when the news came out that police had raided the Cincinnati facility and his name had been found amongst the clientele.
Jerry confessed publicly that he had paid prostitutes with cheques on two occasions, but Micki forgave him and he regained her trust.
The couple stayed together for two decades and in 1976, they had their only child, a daughter named Katie, who had several health challenges at birth.
Jerry and Micki's marriage ended in 1994 when they decided to divorce, and Jerry did not remarry afterwards, though there were some rumours of flings.
In 2002, Jerry admitted that he found it hard to form new romantic relationships and date in the public eye because everyone already knew who he was.
"People know me straight away as the TV guy so we are not starting off on a level footing. They already know a bunch of stuff about me whereas I don't know them at all," he said.
"When you get to the mutual interests, it's all about, 'What's the show like? Is it real?' and invariably they are going to go home afterwards and tell all their friends, 'I met Jerry Springer'.
"So you will never find someone who will just say, 'Hey, I just met this really nice guy, you should meet him'."
In his last year of life, Jerry said he wanted to "try out retirement while he was still healthy" and stepped down from presenting.
"I'm 78 and have been in front of the camera now for 40 years, plus 10 years in politics. I'm winding down," he explained.
A statement from his family confirmed that he passed away peacefully at his home in Chicago.
While his cause of death is yet to revealed, Jerry's family said he was diagnosed with cancer a few months ago, with his health sadly taking a turn for the worse this week.
"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," family spokesman Jene Galvin said.
