Beloved ‘Jeopardy’ host Alex Trebek dies

Alex Trebek, the iconic host of the quiz show “Jeopardy!,” died Sunday after a battle with cancer. He was 80.

“Jeopardy! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends,” the show said in a statement. “Thank you, Alex.”

Trebek announced over a year ago that he had stage 4 pancreatic cancer. About 18% of patients with stage 4 pancreatic cancer survive longer than a year after their diagnosis.

“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 tweeted Sunday.

“We have lost an icon. Almost every night for more than three decades, Alex Trebek entertained and educated millions around the world, instilling in so many of us a love for trivia,” Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau also tweeted. “My deepest condolences to his family, friends, and all who are mourning this tremendous loss.”

Trebek was born in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada in 1940 and started his broadcasting career with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in the early 1960s. In the ’70s, he moved to the United States and began working with NBC on a series of game shows. In 1984, he found the role that would define his career: Jeopardy! The show was on its second run, and its original host Art Fleming turned down a role with the revival. Trebek would go on to helm Jeopardy! for the next 36 years.

He was a master of the format, engaging in friendly banter with contestants, appearing genuinely pleased when they answered correctly and, at the same time, moving the game along in a brisk no-nonsense fashion whenever people struggled for answers.

“I try not to take myself too seriously,” he told an interviewer in 2004. “I don’t want to come off as a pompous ass and indicate that I know everything when I don’t.”

Trebek won five Emmys as its host, and received stars on both the Hollywood and Canadian walks of fame. In 2012, the show won a prestigious Peabody Award.

He taped his daily “Jeopardy!” shows at a frenetic pace, recording as many as 10 episodes (two weeks’ worth) in just two days. After what was described as a mild heart attack in 2007, he was back at work in just a month.

In 2012, Trebek acknowledged that he was considering retirement, but had been urged by friends to stay on so he could reach 30 years on the show. He still loved the job, he declared: “What’s not to love? You have the security of a familiar environment, a familiar format, but you have the excitement of new clues and new contestants on every program. You can’t beat that!”

Despite his cancer diagnosis, he continued to work and host episodes. In an Oct. 2019 interview with CTV, Trebek said, “I’ve lived a good life, a full life, and I’m nearing the end of that life … if it happens, why should I be afraid [of] that?”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.