Gerald Norman Springer, famously known as Jerry Springer, passed away from an undisclosed cause on Thursday. The talk host and former mayor of Cincinnati, who had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a few months ago, died peacefully at his home in Chicago according to a statement released by his family.

Springer was born on February 13, 1944 in the London Underground station of Highgate while it was in use as a bomb shelter during World War II. Much of his family fell victim to the Holocaust, as they were German-Jewish refugees. Springer moved to New York City at the age of four. He developed a fascination with politics and earned a B.A. degree in political science from Tulane University in 1986.

He began his broadcasting career in 1991 and his political activity in 1970, when he unsuccessfully ran for congress. Springer, a Democrat, eventually became the 56th mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, with a term lasting from 1977-1978. His talk show, named after him, aired from September 30, 1991 to July 26, 2018 with nearly 5,000 episodes in the course of its run. Critics harshly dissed the show at first, especially due to its political content, but the show proved itself to be “the most infamous guilty pleasure” to American television of its time.

“He’s irreplaceable and his loss hurts immensely, but memories of his intellect, heart and humor will live on,” said Jene Galvin, a spokesman for Springer’s family. The family requests that, rather than flowers,  we follow his spirit and commit to an act of kindness or good deed. Essentially, as his former tagline at WLWT once said, “Take care of yourself, and each other.”