Trebek continued to quiz contestants in new episodes in 2020, despite a pancreatic cancer diagnosis in 2019. Here’s why Ken Jennings told us the host is basically irreplaceable, and why recent winner Burt Thakur broke down in tears when he got a chance to thank Trebek for his work.
Alex Trebek, who has hosted the popular game show Jeopardy! since 1984, has died at the age of 80. The official Jeopardy! Twitter account confirmed the television personality passed away peacefully at home early on Sunday morning, surrounded by family and friends. In March 2019, Trebek was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. At the time, the host said was undergoing chemotherapy treatments but intended to continue hosting his longtime trivia series. Earlier this year, he updated fans again to say that, while there were “not so good days” that led him to question whether treatment was worth it, he realized he had become “an inspiration, and a cheerleader of sorts of the value of living and hope” and planned to live his life with as much zeal as humanly possible.
