'I know what I'm going to put on my tombstone': Jerry Springer revealed what he wanted as his epitaph in 2016
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: Jerry Springer revealed back in a 2016 interview what he wanted to put on his tombstone after his death. Jerry hosted his namesake talk show 'Jerry Springer Show' for nearly three decades.
During that time when 'The Jerry Springer Show' debuted in 1991, 4,000 episodes of the show were aired before it ended in 2018. Although he returned to host other show, Jerry was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer earlier this year and died aged 79 at his home in Chicago, his family spokesperson announced.
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'I know what I'm going to put on my tombstone'
"I know what I'm going to put on my tombstone," Springer told ET at the time. "'I won't be right back.'" In the same interview, Springer also spoke about reasons he didn't take himself so seriously and not wanting to stop hosting 'The Jerry Springer Show,' despite airing controversial topics.
"Our show is a circus, period," he said. "It has no redeeming social value." Springer added, "I just do it because it's fun to do. And I'm not that good at golf. I think I'd go crazy. I'm always afraid not to be working. It's psychological I'm sure. If I ever have nightmares about something, it's about not having a job, which is crazy."
Springer died of pancreatic cancer
"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," Jene Galvin, a lifelong friend of the family, said. "He's irreplaceable and his loss hurts immensely, but memories of his intellect, heart, and humor will live on."
While announcing his death, Galvin said he died peacefully at his Chicago, Illinois home. It was reported that Jerry was ill for a brief time while revealing his cause of death. Galvin who is also Springer's longtime friend told NBC Springer died of pancreatic cancer. He is survived by his daughter, Katie, and his sister, Evelyn as per ET.
'I like performing'
Because of the show's success in the 1990s, it competed in the ratings with its daytime counterpart, "The Oprah Winfrey Show," Springer felt no remorse for the upbeat, indecent content he broadcast on afternoon TV. In a 2010 interview on Today, Springer claimed, "I don't watch the show, but it's not aimed at 66-year-old men. I would watch it if I were in college. I like performing it. It's very enjoyable. In 1995, William Bennett, a former education secretary, notably referred to "Springer" and other programs of the time as "perpetrators of cultural rot."
The success of "Springer" led to the term "Jerry Springer" being used to describe anything outlandish or ludicrous on television, NBC noted. The report said Alec Baldwin lamented how the Oscars had "turned into the Jerry Springer show" following the infamous Will Smith slap of Chris Rock at the ceremony the previous year.