Joseph Wapner, R.I.P.

Judge Joseph Wapner, best known for presiding over the original version of The People's Court from 1981 to 1993, has died following a brief illness at the age of 97.

Before achieving fame, Wapner spent 20 years on the bench first as a municipal court judge and later a superior court judge in California. Prior to his legal career, Wapner served in the Pacific during WWII earning a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star.

The producers of The People's Court abruptly dumped Wapner in 1993. For the most part, Wapner remained out of the limelight although he did return to TV in the late 1990's for the short-lived Judge Wapner's Animal Court on Animal Planet. Wapner did return to The People's Court in 2009 in honor of his 90th birthday to preside over one last case.

Here's a sample of his judicial work.

Judge Wapner even presided over a dispute between Johnny Carson and David Letterman. They may have been the Kings of Late Night, but Wapner was the King of the Court. R.I.P.