BRENDAN O'BRIEN TELEVISION personality Jerry Springer, known for a long-running talk show that featured raucous audiences, controversial topics and fist-fighting guests and who briefly served as Cincinnati mayor, died at age 79 on Thursday, his family said. Springer died peacefully after a brief illness at his home in suburban Chicago, his family said in a statement. The cause of death was not specified. “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,”…