Photo courtesy of Jeopardy!
Alex Trebek, host of syndicated quiz show “Jeopardy!” passed away on Sunday, Nov. 8, at the age of 80. Trebek had been the host of “Jeopardy!” since it first aired in 1984, and he was a permanent fixture in the homes of families across the country ever since.
“Jeopardy! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends. Thank you, Alex,” read a statement shared on the official “Jeopardy!” Twitter and Instagram accounts.
When his passing was first announced on social media, the news spread like wildfire with millions of people sending an outpouring of love and sharing their fond memories of growing up watching “Jeopardy!” every night. Many former contestants spoke of their memories with Trebek, including champion and “Jeopardy!” consulting producer Ken Jennings who best described Trebek’s immense impact on the lives of his viewers.
“He’s part of the fabric of America’s evening – the center of a gathering place for the whole country, even as media was balkanizing into a million little niches everywhere else. People invited him over every night for decades, just to hear the calming sound of his voice. He wasn’t just a broadcaster. He was part of the family,” wrote Ken Jennings in TIME.
Trebek got his start in American television as the host of “Wizard of Odds,” a game show on NBC. He then went on to work on game shows including “High Rollers” and “The $128,000 Question,” until landing the hosting position on “Jeopardy!” which he held for 36 years. Since becoming host in 1984, Trebek worked on more than 8,200 episodes, won seven Daytime Emmys and received the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011, amongst a plethora of other accomplishments.
Trebek was a frequent donor to his alma mater, University of Ottawa, where he created scholarships and funded the Alex Trebek Forum for Dialogue, a forum focused on bring speakers and hosting conferences on campus. Beyond supporting his alma matter, Trebek was a frequent advocate and volunteer with World Vision, a Christian humanitarian non-profit organization. He was a donor to Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission and a supporter of the United Service Organizations, which he toured with 13 times throughout his life. He dedicated his life to helping others, and less than two years ago he reached out to his viewers and fans for their support when he revealed that he was battling cancer.
It was announced in March 2019 that Trebek was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Despite undergoing treatment over the past year and a half, Trebek continued hosting and bringing families together through his compassion, charm and wit that he showed during each and every episode. After being first diagnosed, Trebek spoke openly about his condition often and was candid about his limited time left as host of “Jeopardy!”.
“What I would do on that day is tell the director, ‘Time the show down to leave me 30 seconds at the end. That’s all I want,’” said Trebek in an interview with ABC News about what he wanted his last “Jeopardy!” episode to be like. “And I will say my goodbyes and I will tell people, ‘Don’t ask me who’s going to replace me because I have no say whatsoever. But I’m sure that if you give them the same love and attention and respect that you have shown me for the past 30-odd years, then they will be a success and the show will continue being a success. And until we meet again, God bless you and goodbye.”
Trebek finished filming his last season on Thursday, Oct. 29, less than two weeks before his passing. America will say its last goodbyes to Trebek on his final episode of “Jeopardy!” which is set to air on Dec. 25, 2020. While we do not know who will be taking over as host of “Jeopardy!” we do know that no one can ever replace Alex Trebek.
