Alex Trebek, the longtime and immensely popular host of the game show Jeopardy!, died on Sunday after a long battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He was 80.
Trebek announced in March of 2019 that he had stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Despite the diagnosis, Trebek continued to host Jeopardy!, something he did for 37 years.
“Jeopardy! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends,” the show wrote on its Twitter account on Sunday. “Thank you, Alex.”
Trebek had apparently come to terms with the idea that he may need to stop treatment in order to salvage his quality of life.
Excerpts from his book “The Answer Is … Reflections on My Life” saw Trebek hint that he may stop treatment in the event his current protocol failed to produce positive results.
“I’m going to stick with this current protocol, then that’s it,” he wrote. “If it doesn’t work I’ll probably stop treatment. Quality of life was an important consideration.”
Trebek began hosting Jeopardy! In 1984. He presided over more than 8,000 episodes. When the show was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic, Trebek was one of the loudest voices in championing for the show to come back safely.
Representatives for Jeopardy! Said in a statement that they would not be announcing plans for a new host at this time.
— Gerry Fall
