Frank Caprio, the veteran municipal court judge who became a viral star and then got his own national TV show with his uncommon compassion in the courtroom, has died at 88. The son of an Italian immigrant milkman,

Paula Abdul said that Frank Caprio, the late Providence jurist known as "the nicest judge in the world," was a dear friend of hers.

Frank Caprio judge for the Providence Municipal Court in Rhode Island has died, his son, David Caprio announced. He was 88 years old.