Jerry Springerhas been laid to rest.
Springer’s longtime publicist Linda Shafran and family friend/spokesman Jene Galvin confirmed to PEOPLE that a private ceremony was held on Sunday in a suburb of Chicago.
A larger public tribute — which will focus on the life and legacy of Springer — is planned for May 16 at noon in Cincinnati, Galvin says. The event is expected to be a free ticketed event, which will also be streamed online.
Details for the event, including ticketing and a lineup of guests, are still forthcoming.
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PEOPLE confirmed that Springer died frompancreatic cancerin a suburb of Chicago on Thursday. He was 79.
“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,” family friend and spokesman Jene Galvin said in a statement to PEOPLE. “He’s irreplaceable and his loss hurts immensely, but memories of his intellect, heart and humor will live on.”
The statement continued, “Funeral services and a memorial gathering are currently being developed. To remember Jerry, the family asks that in lieu of flowers you consider following his spirit and make a donation or commit to an act of kindness to someone in need or a worthy advocacy organization. As he always said, ‘Take care of yourself, and each other.'”
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The talk show host may have become a household name with the success ofThe Jerry Springer Show—ran in syndication from 1991 to 2018— but following his death, he was remembered as a family man.
Rabbi Sandford Kopnick of The Valley Temple in Cincinnati, where Springer was part of the congregation, told PEOPLEthe late television personality was “a kind and generous person"who was “the most devoted husband and father and grandfather.”
“There was much more to him thanThe Jerry Springer Show. He was very, very smart,” he said. “He was a remarkable family man, and he was somebody who understood what it means to pay it forward. He always knew his good fortune. He never took it for granted.”
He added, “When he certainly could have moved on to another congregation after I arrived in this one, not only did he stay, but he did what he could to make it thrive.”
“He found services to be meaningful. He always really embraced his Jewish identity. He did whatever he could to promote the accurate knowledge of the Holocaust, and he was as good as they get.”
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“The rest — the celebrity part — he said is just ego,” Rosen said. “I will remember him [as] a class act, who was a true mensch to his staff, crew and fans from all over the world.”
source: people.com
