Longtime Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek died Sunday after a battle with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, TMZ has validated. He was 80.
The program released a quick declaration through Twitter, stating: “Jeopardy! is distressed to share that Alex Trebek passed away quietly in your home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends. Thank you, Alex.” (See homages to Trebek from other TV hosts and Jeopardy! participants here.) His last Jeopardy! episode is set up to air on Dec. 25.
Trebek initially revealed his cancer diagnosis in March 2019 by means of a video announcement. Though he acknowledged that the diagnosis for his health problem was “not extremely motivating,” Trebek stated at the time that he prepared “to fight this, and I’m going to keep working.” Throughout his battle with the illness, he continued to host Jeopardy! (which then went on hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic), and he offered frequent health updates to fans while going through treatment.
In a July 2020 interview with Good Morning America, Trebek stated he wouldn’t “go to any amazing steps to guarantee my survival” if his speculative immunotherapy treatment proved not successful: “If the lifestyle is not there, it’s difficult often to press and just state, ‘Well, I’m going to keep going, even though I’m miserable.'”
That stated, he dreamed to make it to the two-year survival mark, which would have come in February 2021. “My physician has informed me that he is relying on me celebrating 2 years of survivorship past the diagnosis of Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, and that 2 years takes place in February,” he stated. “So I expect to be around– due to the fact that he said I willbe around– and I anticipate to be hosting the program if I am around.”
After emceeing numerous programs in his native Canada, Trebek made his American hosting debut in 1973 on the temporary NBC game program The Wizard of Odds. He went on to host several other variety programs and game programs in the late ’70s and early ’80s, including Double Dare and High Rollers.
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