Jeopardy host Alex Trebek dies at 80 – CNET

Jeopardy game show host Alex Trebek died Sunday morning at age 80, the show confirmed. 

“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 official Jeopardy account tweeted.

Last year, Trebek posted a video on Twitter and YouTube telling fans he’d been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, but remained hopeful. “Normally, the prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but I’m going to fight this, and I’m going to keep working,” Trebek said. 

Trebek has hosted the long-running Jeopardy series since 1984, and his contract was to continue through 2023.

“He was a legend of the industry that we were all lucky to watch night after night for 37 years,” Jeopardy executive producer Mike Richards said in a statement. “Working beside him for the past year and a half as he heroically continued to host Jeopardy was an incredible honor. His belief in the importance of the show and his willingness to push himself to perform at the highest level was the most inspiring demonstration of courage I have ever seen. His constant desire to learn, his kindness and his professionalism will be with all of us forever.”

As expected, many of Trebek’s friends, colleagues, and past contestants showed their love for the game show host on social media.

“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 contestant Ken Jennings tweeted on Sunday. Jennings holds the record for the longest winning streak on the US game show Jeopardy with 74 wins.

“I was on Jeopardy twice. In 1998 I was on the first-ever Back to School special,” former contestant Kendra James tweeted.  Alex Trebek was so nice to 15+ 10-11 year-olds — my nightmare. I wore a too shiny silver shirt from Limited Too, which Alex kept joking (kindly) about needing sunglasses to look at. RIP.”

“So sad to hear of the passing of my friend Alex Trebek,” actor Ed Asner tweeted. “He was a fighter and also one of the nicest people on this planet. He has left his mark on the world and in our hearts.”

Other fan tributes to Trebek on Twitter show how much the game show host will be missed. “The greatest quiz show host ever, never to be equaled,” wrote Peter Sagal, host of National Public Radio game show Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me. “RIP, Alex Trebek.”