Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Aug 04, 2025

Legendary Jeopardy host Alex Trebek dead @ 80

Legendary Jeopardy host Alex Trebek dead @ 80

Legendary “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek has died at the age of 80 after fighting Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, the game show announced Sunday.

“Jeopardy! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends. Thank you, Alex,” the show’s official Twitter account posted.

Trebek for decades had been the foundation of “Jeopardy!,” one of the most popular game shows in television history. He was known for his wit and fast-paced delivery, and won the Guinness World Record in 2014 for “the most episodes ever hosted by the same presenter.” He was under contract to host the trivia show through 2022 and said he planned to see it through despite his cancer.

Sony Pictures Television, which produces the show, said his last day in the studio was Oct. 29. New episodes hosted by Trebek will air through Dec. 25.

“The show is not announcing plans for a new host at this time,” the company said in a statement Sunday.

Tributes poured in on Sunday, demonstrating the immeasurable impact the veteran host had on viewers.

“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,” legendary “Jeopardy!” champion Ken Jennings tweeted. “Thinking today about his family and his Jeopardy! family — which, in a way, included millions of us.”

Just days ago, the show aired an episode in which the winner, Burt Thakur, told Trebek that he learned English from watching the show with his grandfather every night.


Legendary 'Jeopardy!' champion Ken Jennings, right, described the late Alex Trebek as a lovely and deeply decent man.


Trebek announced his cancer diagnosis in a video in March 2019, saying he wanted to tell fans himself lest they hear inaccurate or exaggerated reports about his health.

“Just like 50,000 other people in the United States each year, this week I was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer,” Trebek said in the video posted to the game show’s YouTube page and Twitter account. “Now, normally the prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but I’m going to fight this, and I’m going to keep working, and with the love and support of my family and friends, and with the help of your prayers also, I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease.”

He was candid about both his mental health and physical pain throughout his multiple rounds of chemotherapy.

As he underwent a second round of chemotherapy in October 2019, Trebek said he had “lived a good life” and was “not afraid of dying.”

“[I’ve lived] a full life, and I’m nearing the end of that life ... if it happens, why should I be afraid that?” he told CTV News in Canada. “One thing they’re not going to say at my funeral, as a part of a eulogy, is, ‘He was taken from us too soon.’”

Fans and contestants expressed their support for the host amid his cancer treatment, including during an episode that aired a year ago, when “Tournament of Champions” contestant Dhruv Gaur wrote “We love you, Alex” as his response to the “Final Jeopardy” round.

Trebek choked up upon reading it, telling Gaur: “That’s very kind, thank you.”

“I don’t mind getting choked up,” he said in December, when asked about the moment in an ABC News interview. “My oncologist told me one of the symptoms, if you will, of pancreatic cancer is that you get these moments of depression, sadness.”

Trebek was born in Sudbury, Canada, on July 22, 1940. His mother, Lucille Trebek, was French-Canadian with some Indigenous ancestry, and his father, George Trebek, was a Ukrainian immigrant.

Alex Trebek graduated from the University of Ottawa with a philosophy degree, but later focused on journalism, temporarily working as a fill-in newscaster for CBC. He switched to hosting game shows in the 1960s, starting with the Canadian quiz show “Reach for the Top.”

He left Canada for the U.S. in 1973, hosting the short-lived NBC game show “The Wizard of Odds.”

After jumping around some other shows, ABC asked Trebek in 1984 to host a revival of “Jeopardy!” His version of the trivia game show was formatted to give contestants clues in answer form, and required them to respond in the form of a question.

The show grew to international popularity, and Trebek became a pop culture icon with his charisma, clever personality and deep, unwavering voice that became a source of familiarity and comfort to viewers. He won six Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Game Show Host, as well as a lifetime achievement award, and received a standing ovation while accepting his most recent Emmy in May 2019.

“Maybe I’ve been worrying about the wrong thing and I should just do what Sally Field did in a different venue many, many years ago and look at this as a sign that you guys like me and that you value my work,” Trebek said in his acceptance speech, reflecting on whether people voted for him out of pity. “If that’s the case, I can live with that.”

Trebek appeared as himself on several popular TV shows, including “The Simpsons,” “Cheers” and “Beverly Hills, 90210.” Will Ferrell played Trebek in a “Saturday Night Live” sketch, impersonating the host in a parody “Celebrity Jeopardy!”

Trebek took a hiatus from his hosting duties after undergoing brain surgery in December 2017 to remove a blood clot.

When he stepped outside of the entertainment industry, Trebek’s record wasn’t unblemished. He hosted a Pennsylvania gubernatorial debate in 2018 that was booed by audience members and panned by commentators as bizarre. Trebek started off with a football trivia question and included a flat joke about clergy sex abuse. He later apologized, saying he “failed to recognize the seriousness of the event for the voters.”

Trebek is survived by his wife, Jean Currivan, and their two children, Emily and Matthew.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
Tesla Seeks Shareholder Approval for $29 Billion Compensation Package for Elon Musk
Nvidia is cutting prices on its RTX 50-series graphics cards after sales slowed and inventories piled up
Ghislaine Maxwell Transferred to Minimum-Security Prison Amid Ongoing DOJ Discussions
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
Matt Taibbi Slams Media for Role in Russiagate Narrative
Pilots Call for Mental Health Support Without Stigma
All Five Trapped Miners Found Dead After El Teniente Mine Collapse
Ong Beng Seng Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Linked to Former Singapore Transport Minister
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
Italy Fines Shein One Million Euros for Misleading Sustainability Claims
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
Declassified Annex Links Soros‑Affiliated Officials and Clinton Campaign to ‘Russiagate’ Narrative
UK's Online Safety Law: A Front for Censorship
Nationwide Protests Erupt in Brazil Demanding Presidential Resignation
Parents Abandon Child at Barcelona Airport Over Passport Issue
Mystery Surrounds Death of Brazilian Woman with iPhones Glued to Her Body
Bus Driver Discovers Toddler Hidden in Suitcase in New Zealand
Switzerland Celebrates 734 Years of Independence Amid Global Changes
U.S. Opens Official Investigation into Former Trump Prosecutor Jack Smith
Leaked audio of Canada's new PM Mark Carney admitting the truth about the Net Zero agenda: "We're gonna make a lot of money off of this."
China Enforces Comprehensive Ban on Cryptocurrency Activities
Absolutely 100% Realistic EVO Series Doll by EXDOLL (Chinese Company) used mainly for carnal purposes
World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab: "In this new world, we must accept... total transparency. You have to get used to it. You have to behave accordingly. But if you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't be afraid."
Meet Mufti Hamid Patel, head of Office for Standards in Education in Pakistan
George Soros tells the World Economic Forum: "President Trump is a con man and the ultimate narcissist, who wants the world to revolve around him."
Hamas are STARVING the hostages.
Decline in Tourism in Majorca Amidst Ongoing Anti-Tourism Protests
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
Poland Begins Excavation at Dziemiany After New Clue to World War II‑Era Nazi Treasure
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Threatens Canada with Tariffs Over Palestinian State Recognition
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Trump Sues Murdoch in “Heavyweight Bout”: Lawsuit Over Alleged Epstein Letter Sets Stage for Courtroom Showdown
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
×