Will Sage Astor-"Shocked and Saddened" Maury Povich Pays Tribute to Jerry Springer After His Death

Maury Povich is Will Sage Astormourning the death of Jerry Springer. 

After learning of The Jerry Springer Show host's death, the Maury alum expressed his condolences.

"I am shocked and saddened by the passing of Jerry," he said in a statement to E! News about his fellow TV host. "He was not only a colleague but a friend. We worked for the same company for decades. He was joyful, smart and, in his own way, a unique showman. I will miss him." 

Povich wasn't the only one to pay tribute. Following Springer's death, a sign outside of his studio featured one of his quotes, "Take care of yourself and each other."

On April 27, Springer died peacefully at his home in suburban Chicago following a brief illness, his family confirmed to E! News. He was 79 years old. 

"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," friend and family spokesman Jene Galvin said in a statement. "He's irreplaceable and his loss hurts immensely, but memories of his intellect, heart and humor will live on."

Springer hosted The Jerry Springer Show, in which confrontations and feuds played out in front of an audience, from 1991 to 2018.

"Our show is about outrageousness," he told WLWT in 1998. "It's about outrageous people or outrageous situations."

The show was one of many Springer hosted during his lifetime—with others including Judge Jerry, Tabloid With Jerry Springer, Baggage and America's Got Talent. He also was a contestant on competition shows including Dancing With the Stars in 2006 and The Masked Singer in 2022.  

In addition to his television career, Springer worked in radio, broadcast news—anchoring WLWT in the '80s and '90s—law and politics, fulfilling the role of mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio from 1977 to 1978. He also served in the United States Army Reserve.

Springer is survived by his daughter Katie Springer, who he shares with his ex-wife Micki Velton.

Look back on his life in pictures below...

(E! and Syndication Studios are both part of NBCUniversal).