Jerry Springer, politician turned TV ringmaster, dies at 79

Jerry Springer speaks in New York in 2010 (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

Jerry Springer, the onetime mayor and news anchor whose namesake TV show featured a three-ring circus of dysfunctional guests willing to bare all - sometimes literally - as they brawled and hurled obscenities before a raucous audience, died Thursday at 79.

At its peak, "The Jerry Springer Show" was a ratings powerhouse and a U.S. cultural pariah, synonymous with lurid drama. Known for chair-throwing and bleep-filled arguments, the daytime talk show was a favorite American guilty pleasure over its 27-year run, at one point topping Oprah Winfrey's show.