Frank Caprio, the retired chief judge of the Providence Municipal Court whose compassionate rulings made him an Internet sensation and host of the syndicated series “Caught in Providence,” died Wednesday in Providence at the age of 88, his family announced. Caprio had been battling pancreatic cancer since late 2023 and said in a video posted a day before his death that he had suffered a setback and was back in hospital. The family statement said he “passed away peacefully after a long and courageous fight.” First appointed to the municipal bench in 1985, Caprio presided for nearly four decades before retiring in 2023. Clips of his courtroom, often showing reduced fines or words of encouragement, garnered billions of views online and helped the program earn multiple Daytime Emmy nominations between 2021 and 2023. Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee ordered state flags flown at half-staff in Caprio’s honor, calling him a “treasure” who showed what is possible when justice is tempered with humanity. Caprio is survived by his wife of almost 60 years, Joyce, five children, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Funeral arrangements have not yet been disclosed.