Jerry Springer remembered as a 'showman' and 'the bright light' at memorial ... trends now
Jerry Springer was celebrated today in a memorial service, which featured speeches from his closest friends and family and began with one familiar and famous chant: 'Jerry, Jerry, Jerry!'
Hundreds of people gathered at Memorial Hall in Cincinnati on Friday to commemorate the media icon, in a proceeding that began at noon and broadcasted live on TV as well as streamed on Springer's website.
Around 550 free tickets were made available the general public.
At the event, Springer remembered Springer as a natural performer, a family man, and someone who never lost sight of what was important, no matter how successful he became.
Cincinnati Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney kicked off the program with the 'Jerry' cheer and declared today 'Jerry Springer Day,' according to The Cincinnati Enquirer.
Hundreds of people gathered at Memorial Hall in Cincinnati on Friday to commemorate the media icon, in a proceeding that began at noon and was broadcasted live on TV
Loved ones, local celebrities and city leaders came together to honor the former Cincinnati mayor who died earlier this week and recalled personal memories of the media icon
The memorial featured speeches from his closest friends and family and began with one familiar and famous chant: 'Jerry, Jerry, Jerry!'
Springer became famous as host of the popular 'Jerry Springer Show' which ran from 1991 to 2018, but friends say he never forgot who he was or where he came from.
It first focused on political issues, but it became a worldwide sensation after wild guests would fight on live TV. The audience would always cheer, 'Jerry, Jerry, Jerry!'
Before Springer's TV success, he served one term as Cincinnati's mayor in 1977.
Longtime friend Jene Galvin said Springer considered his show 'silly' but he remained serious and passionate about causes he believed in.
'Television and star quality never changed jerry it merely revealed the character deeply rooted in his DNA,' he said. 'The overarching thing of all of it was his heart.
'He made us laugh until it hurt and he made us think until we cared,' he added.
Springer's younger sister, Evelyn Strauch, described her brother as the 'bright lighy' of her family - humorous intelligent compassionate and humble.
Strauch spoke about her first memory of her brother - seeing him in a baby carriage, tied to a lone tree on a hilltop in Oxford, England, next door to a war camp.
Springer's parents had escaped the Nazis in World War II and could not get into United States, so Jerry and Evelyn were born in the United Kingdom.
She said he a natural knack for show biz and his family predicted he would one day be a star.
One incident in particular stood out - when Jerry would stand on a table in the hallways and start pontificating, giving speeches to
