Jerry Bishop, who was the announcer in the American TV show Judge Judy passed away on April 21st, 2020, at the age of 84. The inception of the show in 1996 and Bishop has been the announcer ever since. Judge Judy is an American reality court show. In the show, Judge Judy goes through small cases and tries to solve those cases. However, the claims are real, even though small.
Jerry Bishop was very popular as a radio personality and a voice-over artist. Widely known as the first voice on Disney channel for Tom and Jerry, he was instantly a hit. Also, he is the voice of many of the top brand commercials as well. His granddaughter confirmed his death to a Hollywood reporter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4keH9mngPRk
Jerry Bishop’s Cause of death:
Bishop died on April 21, 2020, as a result of kidney and heart failure. His family members confirmed his death.
Steven Portnoy, a broadcaster at CBS radio news said on twitter, “Sorry to hear this. Jerry Bishop‘s work was ubiquitous because of his consistently smooth and solid delivery. I still remember hearing his voice on Disney Channel promos in the ’80s.”
Jerry Bishop’s Childhood and education?
Jerry Bishop was born in Hartford, Connecticut, on October 19, 1935. He was born as Gerald Blume. Bishop bagged an undergraduate degree in journalism, which helped him develop a career in voice career and radio. He graduated from Emerson College, Boston.
Jerry Bishop’s Relationships and wife:
At a very young age of 21, Jerry Bishop married his wife Velma Joan Leventhal in 1956. Their relationship is one that we see in the movies. They managed to remain together and love each other, almost their whole lives. The couple remained together until his wife of 51 years died in 2007.
Bishop’s Family and children:
Bishop had three daughters with his wife. The daughters are named Karen Rosenbloom, Michelle Carriker, and Stephanie Blume. He also has three grandchildren and nieces and nephews from his brother. His brother is Daniel Blume, and his sister-in-law is Joanne Blume.
Jerry Bishop’s Radio career:
After he graduated college, Bishop started to work at WDRC (AM), which is a radio station in Hartford. Later he moved with his family to California and began to work at KCBQ in 1963 as a radio host. It only took him a while to start working at KLAC, which is also in California.
In 1969, he was hired by KFI, and Bishop worked there for the next five years. During his time at KFI, he used to host sports shows. When KIIS-FM hired him in the 1970s, he got to host the “Tom and Jerry Show.” At KIIS, he managed to take interviews with numerous celebrities and TV personalities. Some of his significant stars were: Frank Sinatra, Stever McQueen, and Natalie Wood.
He managed to work at most of the top radio channels in L.A., such as KFI, KIIS, and KLAC.
Bishop’s Voice over and TV careers:
While he was working at KIIS, Jerry managed to juggle a voice-over career alongside. In the 1970s, Jerry Bishop was the announcer for some TV shows. During that time, he also worked for The Cross-Wits, NBC variety series, and Dick Clark’s Live Wednesday.
You might not know, but he was the voice for a ton of national TV and radio commercials. He narrated for Budweiser, Miller Coors, and Burger King commercials. His voice was preferred in the media. As a result, he also got to record promos for some NBC and ABC shows.
In the 1980’s he remained as the official announcer for the Disney Channel. He worked for Disney for 15 years. It was after that when he started working for Judge Judy. Jerry Bishop worked as the off-camera announcer at Judge Judy for 24 years until he died. He was working there until a few weeks before his death.
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Since he signed for the show in 1996 when it had first started producing, and he worked for them till the last moment. The show has earned itself 3 Emmy’s. The show is one of the most beloved and highest-rated reality court show in America.
“Jerry Bishop has been the voice of our program for 24 years,” Judy Sheindlin said. “Everybody loved him. He had a golden heart and a generous spirit. I adored him and will miss him.”
Jerry Bishop’s Net worth:
Jerry Bishop has maintained a very personal life and hardly any information is there on media. Since he doesn’t have a presence on social media it is difficult to assume the exact worth that he might have. However, looking at his long and impressive career he probably accumulated not less than thousands to millions of dollars during his life. A single radio host earns about $59,194 with the amount of experience he had. He had a career that could give him a comfortable life if not luxurious.
