27 April 2023 , 18:58
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Jerry Springer became a household name through his decades-long broadcasting career but he had 'semi-retired' more recently in the year before his death this week.
It was announced earlier that the late presenter - known for his eponymous talk show, which ran from 1991 until 2018 - passed away peacefully, aged 79, on Thursday morning.
His death was confirmed in a statement issued on behalf of his family and a spokesperson is said to have shared that Jerry had a "brief illness" prior to his passing.
It's been reported by TMZ that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a few months ago, with the outlet adding that he "took a turn for the worse" recently.
It has been announced that Jerry Springer has died (Getty Images)Jerry's death comes just over a year after he stated that he would be trying out retirement following the cancellation of his show Judge Jerry, which had launched in 2019.
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As reported by radio station WVXU, Jerry spoke about "winding down" amid the news that the court show wouldn't be returning for new episodes after its third season.
He said: "[I want] to try out retirement while I'm still healthy." He added: "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, however, was later said to be in 'semi-retirement,' with him speaking to Fox News about the new phase of his life whilst promoting his stint on the Masked Singer US.
Following a decades-long career, he had suggested he would be retiring last year (WireImage)
He later appeared on the Masked Singer and suggested that he wanted to take on some jobs, rather than go into 'full retirement' (FOX Image Collection via Getty Images)Jerry said during the interview towards the end of last year that he would take jobs occasionally but, he wasn't going to be working on any full-time projects after Judge Jerry.
The presenter – who had worked in politics earlier in his career – told the outlet: "I'm 78. To go into work every day is not how I want to spend my remaining years of good health".
He further explained to the outlet that he wanted to spend time with his grandson Richard, 14. Jerry suggested in the interview that his priorities had changed later in life.
And when asked about the prospect of 'full retirement,' he said: "As long as I'm mentally alert, no. I'll always want to do something, whether it's podcasts or political shows."
Discussing his approach, Jerry explained that whilst he enjoys being able to go away on holiday, he likes knowing that once a vacation is over he has something to go back to.