'Jeopardy!' Host Alex Trebek Has Died at Age 80
Getty Images, Eric McCandless / Contributor
Yesterday, November 8th, the long-time host of the hit gameshow Jeopardy!, Alex Trebek, passed away at age 80. Trebek's Jeopardy! career spanned 37 seasons (totaling 8,200 episodes) since 1984—the most episodes taped by a presenter of any single TV game show, according to a statement released by Sony Pictures, per CNN.
Trebek's passing was announced by the official Jeopardy! Twitter account yesterday afternoon. "Jeoprady! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends," the tweet reads. "Thank you, Alex."
Though no official cause of death was immediately disclosed, Trebek had been vocal about his stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis since he made it public in March 2019. He later went into more detail about his diagnosis and treatment, including immunotherapy, in his July 2020 memoir, The Answer Is…Reflections on My Life.
Jeopardy! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends. Thank you, Alex. pic.twitter.com/Yk2a90CHIM
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) November 8, 2020
"Alex wasn’t just the best ever at what he did. He was also a lovely and deeply decent man, and I’m grateful for every minute I got to spend with him," Jeopardy! contestant Ken Jennings wrote in a November 8th tweet, followed up by, "Thinking today about his family and his Jeopardy! family—which, in a way, included millions of us."
Alex wasn’t just the best ever at what he did. He was also a lovely and deeply decent man, and I’m grateful for every minute I got to spend with him. pic.twitter.com/CdHCcbqmp2
— Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) November 8, 2020
Trebek considered retiring in 2018 after he took a brief hiatus from taping the show to recover from a brain surgery to remove a blood clot caused by a fall. However, Trebek decided to resign his contract, which had him hosting the quiz show through 2022.
According to the statement from Sony Pictures, Trebek's last day of filming socially-distanced episodes of Jeopardy! was on October 29th, and episodes with Trebek at the helm will continue to air through December. Sony Pictures added, "The show is not announcing plans for a new host at this time."
Having been in an influence in the lives of so many, Trebek will be greatly missed. Needless to say Jeopardy! will not be the same without him standing at the podium.
