Longtime talk show host Jerry Springer, who served as Cincinnati mayor for a brief time in the 1970s, died at age 79 on Thursday, local media reported, citing a statement from his family.

Springer died peacefully at his home in suburban Chicago, according to WLWT 5, the NBC Cincinnati affiliate where he became a news anchor after his stint as mayor. The cause of death was not specified.

In 1991, Springer landed his own television program, a syndicated talk show broadcast across the United States until 2018.

The daytime program, known as The Jerry Springer Show, was initially a politically oriented show but later featured everyday people discussing sensationalistic topics. Others saw the show as contributing to a dumbing-down decline in American social values.