CNN– Longtime television host and former mayor of Cincinnati Jerry Springer died from pancreatic cancer, his longtime representative Linda Shafran confirmed to CNN Friday.

He was 79.

Springer’s death had been announced Thursday.

“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 and spokesman for the family, said in a statement.

His tabloid talk series, “The Jerry Springer Show,” premiered in 1991 and was wildly successful in syndication. It ended in 2018 after more than 4,000 episodes.

Both Springer and his show were often criticized for helping to popularize “trash TV” due to the often outrageous guests he hosted.

Springer once told CNN that he did not mind being referred to as the “grandfather of trash TV,” saying in 2010, as “The Jerry Springer Show” celebrated its 20th anniversary on the air: “It’s probably accurate. I don’t know what the award for that is, but I think it is true that we were probably one of the first shows to present some of the outrageousness we have.”

Springer had not publicly shared he had been diagnosed with cancer prior to his death.