Alex Trebek, the longtime host of the syndicated TV game show Jeopardy!, has died. He was 80.
Trebek, who was born in Ontario, Canada in 1940 but became a naturalized United States citizen in 1998, grew up in a bilingual French-English home and graduated from the University of Ottawa with a philosophy degree. While finishing up his college career, he began working for the Canadian Broadcasting Company in 1961. Originally with an eye toward broadcast journalism, Trebek spent several years working as an announcer for a wide variety of news and sporting events for the radio division of the CBC.
His television career began in 1963 as host of a Canadian music program called Music Hop, and throughout the ensuing decade Trebek worked as a host for a variety of CBC programs, including game shows, classical music programs, and even a weekly skating show. In 1973, he moved to Los Angeles and began a new phase of his life hosting American game shows, more than half a dozen between 1973 and 1983.
However, it was with the daily syndicated revival of the ’60s-era game show Jeopardy! that Trebek found his subsequent livelihood, taking on the role of host from its debut in 1984 until the end of his life. During this time, he would periodically take on other hosting duties as well, even making broadcast history by becoming the first person to ever host three American game shows at the same time (along with Jeopardy!, he hosted the NBC programs Classic Concentration and To Tell The Truth in the spring of 1991).
Trebek became a well-known face in American and Canadian popular culture, often appearing on talk shows and as himself in various sitcoms—perhaps most famously in an episode of Cheers, in which the host got to inform the character Cliff Clavin that his answer to the clue of “Archibald Leach, Bernard Schwartz, and Lucille LeSueur” (“Who are three people who have never been in my kitchen?”) was very, very wrong.
He received a lifetime achievement award at the Daytime Emmy Awards in 2011, and in 2014 Guinness World Records awarded Trebek the world record for most episodes of a game show hosted, with 6,829 at the time, a number that subsequently swelled to more than 7,000. He also worked regularly with a variety of charities and philanthropic organizations, including World Vision Canada and United Service Organizations.
Trebek made a public announcement on March 6, 2019, stating he had been diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, and saying he intended to fight the disease despite the odds, even joking he would need to beat it, given he was contractually obligated to continue hosting Jeopardy! through 2022. Earlier this year, though, in gentle acknowledgement of the fact that he wouldn’t be around to host the show forever, he mentioned that he refused to have any input whatsoever on who would host the show after him. He is survived by wife Jean and two children, Matthew and Emily.
149 Comments
It’sh only natural that Sean Connery would drag his archnemesis to the afterlife.Here’s to the last original kind man on television.
“You think your shooo shmart, Trebek, with your Dago moushtache and your greashy hair!!!”
“What did I *just* say about ethnic slurs?!”
He swore that he would be railing Trebeck’s mother in hell. So there was no other choice…
Actually IRL as of a few years ago Trebek’s mom was still alive, I think she might still be!
I think she died in 2019 (I recall looking it up after his death, she was very long lived)
Interestingly enough, as of 2016, the two had never met in person.
Who wants to live in a world without an Alex Trebek?I hope his kind of class and dignity never goes out of style.
so long as the people he inspired carry it forward, we wont.
I never have, being just about as old as Trebek’s Jeopardy run. It’s gonna be weird without his qualities on TV every night.
And the answer is; nobody.
It’ll be especially bleak if someone like Joe Rogan were to replace him, which thankfully is not happening.
The saddest thing is he never got his 30 seconds at the end of his last show to thank everyone.
Oh don’t make me cry harder.
The press release says he was filming up through a week-and-a-half ago. So I wonder if maybe he did?
TMZ also mentioned shows have been filmed until the end of the year. I would be shocked if they didn’t record the 30 second sign off at some point over the past 18 months (and especially since the pandemic started).
Seeing as he was under contract til 2022, I find it unlikely unless he filmed an absolute shitload or just ended an episode with a “fuck it I’m out” and broke contract and no one knew.
Yeah, but he may have known it was likely going to be the end at that point.
im not sure how many more filmed, but one recent show that is perhaps relevant was a contestant, burt thakur, who mentioned that he was an immigrant, and when he was a child, his grandfather and he watched jeopardy and that was responsible for his english diction. I felt it was a touching moment regardless, but in context now, even as his life was ending, and we all knew stage 4 pancreatic cancer is not something you escape, but that his actions touched so many. it feels for the current time.
I think he has new shows to air until the end of December and then they need a a new host.
I could see this show in hiatus for a while while the find a new host and tape new episodes.
I think he has new shows to air until the end of December and then they need a a new host.
I could see this show in hiatus for a while while the find a new host and tape new epoisdodes.
You could sense with so many stories from contestants since he announced his cancer diagnosis how appreciative they are of Alex. Burt’s story in particular though was fantastic though
I suspect that he pre-recorded something.
They are reporting that they have enough episodes recorded to broadcast through Christmas day….Yes, that’s right, on Christmas we’ll get to see Mr. Trebek one last time.
SNL has to do an Afterlife Celebrity Jeopardy sketch.
That’s for the 50th anniversary show.
Get Sean, Burt, Robin, and Alex together again, would be epic.
And Chadwick as T’Challa.
No.No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no.No.
We all knew this was only a matter of time, but it’s terrible news all the same. Thanks for the years of useful and useless trivia stuck in my brain, Mr. Trebek
Well, that was a fun break. We now return to FUCK 2020, already in progress.Seriously though, this is devastating. Trebek’s cool, dryly funny persona was such a change-up compared to your average game show host. He made us collectively think & learn every night, and have fun doing it. A genuine treasure of a man.
My sentiments as well. I saw the headline, and my instant thought was, “Fuck you, 2020.”Trebek was a voice of calm intelligence within the realm of garish and obnoxious game shows. He gave a real sense that intelligence not only matters, but in the context of a quiz show, is also pure entertainment itself. He’s going to be missed.
This is why we can’t have nice things at all this year (except for Biden’s win, which was a nice one day lot of us needed). And I read a while ago that Trebek was doing fairly well with his health despite his battle with the cancer.FUCK 2020.
I’m not counting on Biden actually having won until he’s sworn in in January. The Orange Dictator and his brood of vipers are working hard to throw out as many legal votes as they can…….anyway… For me, fuck 2020 as well. We’ve lost an Avenger, a Mythbuster, and now Alex?? UGH.
Technically Biden hasn’t won until the Electoral College votes next month, and even then he won’t be sworn in until next year, so I don’t see any contradiction in saying that 2020 still sucks.
I watched Jeopardy! religiously as a kid and the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire class of game shows that came afterward just baffled me with their banality. Why are you dipshits talking about answers and not answering? Jeopardy! had none of that frivolity, it got through 61 answers/questions in 20 minutes (and you could always tell Trebek was annoyed if he had to drop a “less than a minute to go,” let alone if answers were left on the board) and that pace was set by Trebek. He wasn’t a jerk about it, he’d make a joke from time to time or make a meal out of any French pronunciation, but the point of the game was the game, He was a pro and he’ll be missed.
Boy no kidding. My wife and like the gameplay of The Wall on NBC. But all the treacly sentimentality that goes with it is banal. So we tape it and fast forward through all the dreck to watch the game. A 1/2 hour version of that show that moved at a Jeopardy clip could be fun.Ditto every other Q + A game show.
Jeopardy always kept a level of class, the only slightly tacky thing to me was the video/celebrity daily doubles. And it connected generations, I’d watch it with my grandmother who was 80 years older than me. She didn’t understand Nickelodeon too well but definitely loved Jeopardy.
I still remember the ep of Cheers where Cliff finally got on the show, blew it all on the “Who are three people who have never been in my kitchen?” answer, and Trebek told Cliff he was quitting as host to “maybe spend a little time in Tibet.”
So excited for Biden to be declared winner, then hours later 2020 does THIS. I knew it was coming but it seemed like he had some time left.
Awwwwwwwwww. Oh the amount of hours I spent watching this man. Oh the golden memories. From ho to mocking nerds to rapping. What is the greatest game show host in history? Alex goddamn Trebek. Now go school Einstein you wonderful man. Farewell!
2020, you heartless motherfucker.RIP Alex.
What is sad news about one of, if not, the nicest man on TV, beloved by all and destined to be remembered fondly for decades to come.
He and Regis. And we lost them both this year. Fuckkkk
May their glorious battle continue.
“The game is afoot!”
The penis mightier than the sword.
“That’s Therapists!”—“Foreign FLICKS, Mr. Connery. Foreign FLICKS.”
Ursula Andress, Catherine Deneuve, and Charo, twice.
You fool, Trebek, you’re sitting on a gold mine.
rip to the most gracious guy to ever be prank called
Let’s go to “Fuck Cancer” for $200, Alex.
“A leading cause of death, this category of disease kills, on average, over 600 times as many Americans annually as modern warfare does.”
“What is cancer?”
“Correct! Fuck cancer!”“I’ll take ‘Fuck Cancer’ for $400, please.”
“Inexplicably, the United States government devotes roughly sixteen times as much money to military spending every year as it does to this.”
“What is cancer research?”
“Correct! FUCK cancer research! Uncle Sam prefers bombs!”
*uproarious applause*
According to the press release, he was in the studio up through a week-and-a-half ago, and the last filmed episode is scheduled to air on Christmas.
Leave it to Alex to leave us with one last Christmas present. Classy to the end.
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCKKK!!!
RIP Mr. TrebekI had no idea he was 80 years-old. I thought he was in his 60s.#correction : University of Ottawa
Looks like it was corrected. What did it say before? Also, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Misspelled Ottawa as Ottowa.
The punishing irony of that being how annoyed Trebek would get with contestants who got simple questions about Canada wrong.
I’ll take “Genuinely Decent Celebrities” for a $600 please.
Did anyone else just queue up that “What is ‘We Love You, Alex’?” final Jeopardy answer from earlier this year and get choked up all over again?
I didn’t need that to get choked up. For me its Ken Jennings hoe answer, rapping, and mocking nerds for not knowing football.
A decent man who made people want to know more.
This one hurts. Alex provided 30 minutes a night, five nights a week of sanity, intelligence and some humor. I really really really have hated the last 12 months.What is “sorrow,” Alex, just sorrow.One small consolation for Alex is that he lived to see Joe Biden win and Trump go down in flames.
Booo. Marge wouldn’t be in Final Jeopardy with a negative amount.
I was on Jeopardy in 2012. I was sporting a modestly impressive jewfro at the time. During the breaks, he likes to tunelessly sing to himself. As he was taking pictures with all of us, he sang “here’s a guy with my hair from the ‘70s” to himself as he approached me.
How dare you steal his 70s hair!
That’s awesome, I’m legitimately jealous!
Well, 2020 continues it’s Suck.
My Mom will be heartbroken, she (93) has an eye for younger men…
his answer to the clue of “Archibald Leach, Bernard Schwartz, and Lucille LeSueur” (“Who are three people who have never been in my kitchen?”) was very, very wrong.Be that as it may, Alex, those people have never been in Cliff’s kitchen.Sorry. This is sad news.
I remember watching that episode with my parents when I was a little kid, and actively getting angry, because that answer was true!!!
Cancer in general sucks, but pancreatic cancer suuuuuuuuuuuuucks, and this absolute fucking champion not only survived it for two years, not only did so in his late seventies, but kept doing what he loved until the end. Cases like this are why I’m not keen on the metaphor of a “battle” with cancer, because he might’ve died but he sure as shit didn’t lose.
Glorious last stand.
Psychologists have been trying to change the lingo for that purpose. What a mighty loss.
The problem with changing the lingo is that it isn’t too long before the new lingo starts to carry the same implications as the old lingo – you can only spin it so far before the reality takes over – and then you’re in a new push to change the lingo again.
He made it through all of that after having had 2 heart attacks in his life as well, it’s pretty crazy.
It’s a tie. The cancer died with him.
Alright, so that I’m not sobbing on and off the rest of the day, I need to process this my own way.Ken Jennings is definitely next host, right?
I figure he has to be the favorite if he wants the job. I love Ken’s podcast The Omnibus, and I wonder if he’ll address Trebek on that show, but I think it’s also taped several weeks in advance.
Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit. Especially surprising because he’s looked so stable since they came back from coronavirus.RIP Trebek 🙁
The Dreaded Year of 2020 have giveth and taketh away.I am thankful for a wonderful reprieve we had yesterday, but this is why we can’t ever have nice thing at all this year.You’ll be missed, Alex Trebek, one of if not the greatest game show host who have ever lived.
little known fact about Alex, if you got answers wrong durring the commerical break he would punch your fucking mouth loose!
RIP. It’s not surprising to me that an imminently kind and gentle man who valued intellectualism over everything else didn’t make it through 2020.Trebek was a HUGE part of my childhood, the ritual my parents used to bond over every day. I cannot remember a single solitary day of my 35 years on this planet that they haven’t watched Jeopardy together before dinner, even if they were fighting, even if the day had sucked. They used to tape it on VCR back in the day if one person had to work.I’m deeply saddened by this loss.
Yeah, for me it was whenever I’d visit home from school or where I lived usually once or twice we’d go to the neighborhood bar, and Jeopardy would be playing silently on the TV, but with the questions being shown we could answer them. And before that as a kid literally any time I’d see my grandmother from when I’d used to stay over on Saturdays to when she was in the nursing home. Wheel of Fortune would be on too, but Jeopardy holds more of a place in my heart.
One of my favorite memories of Alex Trebek was when he appeared in a absurdist episode of The X-Files. I don’t recall all the details, but a witness to a UFO-encounter said he had been approached by the infamous “Men in Black”- black car, fedoras and trench coats – and warned to keep his mouth shut. When asked to describe them, he said, “Alex Trebek”.“One of them looked like Alex Trebek?”“No, one of them was Alex Trebek.”Mulder and Scully put it down to him being crazy, and continued the investigation. They got too close, and the Men in Black appeared to warn Mulder off. As they were leaving, one acknowledged him with a nod from under his fedora.It was Alex Trebek.I just about lost it.
The other MiB was Jesse Ventura, and the witness was the brilliant Charles Nelson Reilly. “Jose Chung’s is easily one of my favorite episodes of the entire series.
The weird episodes were always my favorites.
Please watch all the SCTV Half Wits and Hi-Q skits on YouTube to see where Celebrity Jeopardy came from. Also, they’re still mindbendingly funny.
Every SNL “classic” has an SCTV inspiration or analog that is much, much funnier.
The first few Celebrity Jeopardies are pretty funny – they just peter off fast (especially once Norm Macdonald is gone). If I remember correctly, Norm actually asked the permission of the people who wrote Half Wits before he started writing CJ.
One of the stations will show old Tonight Show reruns with Carson hosting. One time Burt Reynolds was on and I realized that Norm Macdonald was not doing a parody of Reynolds on Celebrity Jeopardy, he was just doing a spot-on impression.
Norm was a very underrated impressionist. People mostly just remember his Update controversies (as I guess even he preferred Update) but he had several years of great sketch stuff that helped keep SNL going.
I forget, did Norm ever do his Letterman on SNL?
He did 2-3 times. https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/cast/norm-macdonald-15196/impersonation/david-letterman-90921Mashup:
Any relation to Turd Ferguson?
I will say though, my wife was born in 1980 and lived in Australia until she was 20. SCTV might as well be in Swahili for all the jokes she has no reference for. For example; Hope and Crosby “Road” movies.
Lawrence Orbach wants to be a circuit court judge and play professional hockey…
When I was in high school, I made it on our schools Reach For The Top team (which is what Hi-Q is mocking), but we were never good enough to get on to the show when Trebek was hosting.
My favorite Trebek video:
This one…just hurts.I’ve watched this man host everything- To Tell the Truth, High Rollers and Classic Concentration (where he was looser). Double Dare and Pitfall (underrated gems) Battlestars (knockoffs) and the random stuff he appeared in.But Jeopardy- a show i watched as a kid with my family, as a teen, college student and had picked up again as i rebuilt after my bitter divorce and grad school, I started to fall in love with the show again. Ive even had the pleasure of playing games with former champions online in the GS community. Every interaction has said he was a real gem and he is—sigh-was-well loved. Man, this sucks.
Sad to see him go. Trebek was universally loved and respected by virtually everyone in North America.
I was a high school senior in 1984 when Jeopardy was revived and I wasn’t thrilled when they hired that guy from High Rollers that SCTV used to mock. I’ll admit I was wrong.
I’m holding on to my belief that he’s just gone back undercover along with Jesse Ventura for the Men in Black.
I’m sorry, you didn’t state that headline in the form of a question.
Bob Barker will get some love when he passes, but Trebek will always be the man.
Damn, Barker is indeed still alive (and 96 to boot). I would have sworn up and down he’d passed away at least a decade ago.But anyway, yeah, Trebek is the king.
Yes, he’s still with us much to the annoyance of million of spayed and neutered pets who’ve been wishing for his demise for decades now.
And a notation inside the files of some sexual harassment suits.
True. But also, Dian Parkinson… Barker may have been an asshole, but man, he was a lucky asshole…
You do know she accused him of coercing her into sleeping with him by threatening to fire her, yes? I’d say that’s somewhere between “lucky” and “borderline rapist”.
From what I recall the harassment didn’t begin until halfway into the relationship.
Oh well that’s ok then!
This absolutely gutted me on a week from hell. I always used to joke I had the soul of an old grandparent because I just had to watch my wheel and jeopardy, and jeopardy was always the most important of the two to me. and it was definitely because of trebeck. his dry delivery was iconic. fuck 2020, fuck cancer.
What is something that sucks in 2020?RIP Trebek
RIP to perhaps the greatest of all UOttawa alums.
It is a sad shame that this article honoring one of the greats of pop culture is marred with pop-up and overlapping advertisements.
Alex as he will always be remembered
Yesterday’s news aside, F U C K. Y O U, 3020
Hey, spoiler alert, some of us are a thousand years behind you.
goddamn phone!
This seems to be getting more attention that the AP call that put Biden on top. Priorities, America.
Fuck Alex Trebeck.
Why is Trebek wearing a TNG surgical outfit in that picture?
Loved Trebek and his dry, Canadian demeanor. He faced the end with dignity.
At least he got to see Trump voted out.
This guy saved my life.
Ugh. This sucks. When you saw the type of cancer he had and its stage, you knew in the back of your mind this was gonna be the outcome, but Alex Trebek had such a great attitude about everything you really thought he was gonna be one of the ones to pull it off and beat this awful disease. But that positivity was his final gift to us all and I’m gonna remember him that way.
Since its inception in 1984 until his tragic death in 2020, for over 8,000 episodes, the daily syndicated version of the popular trivia show Jeopardy! was presented by this icon of American television.
He outlived Sean Connery so he wins.
But Sean’s had plenty of time in between to renew his acquaintance with Alex’s mom…
2020! Woohoo! Best year ever! >.>
As someone who still watches Classic Concentration on Buzzr, Alex has been a staple my entire life. It won’t be the same without him. Leave it to 2020 to have Connery and Trebek go out at the same time.Alex: “You’re the man now, dog!”[Contestants fail to ring in]Alex: “AHA! CAUGHT YOU! With Sean Connery!”
“Trebek, who was born in Ontario, Canada”Hmmm, okay, if that’s true, I fixed the following for you:“In 1973, he moved to California, United States”😉
Is it just me, or was he just about the only game show host who didn’t seem like he was talking down to or trying to seduce the contestants?
Jeopardy is stupid.I get they originally were doing an “If this is the answer than what was the question” but it some how morphed in to all answers must be phrased as a question which just led to everyone saying “What is…..”May as well have changed the rule to you must say snorkel before the answer.
When I was a kid I loved Classic Concentration; I even had the NES game. I was never as into Jeopardy, but you couldn’t escape the show’s pop culture impact – it felt like every ‘80s sitcom had a Jeopardy episode. As I got older, I began to respect Trebek more, not only because of his effortless sense of cool and quick wit, or because of the way he balanced the warm and snappy sides of the job (instead of being too brusque or being too cloying), but also because, unlike some other game show hosts of my childhood, he didn’t end up becoming a huge piece of shit. I’m sorry he’s gone, but I’m glad he knew how many loved him.
Here’s a pic of a young Trebek. Dude was a straight up stud until the end.https://www.cbc.ca/archives/alex-trebek-hosted-so-many-cbc-shows-before-jeopardy-1.4754826.
It’s REALLY hard to imagine a world without Alex Trebek hosting Jeopardy. I reckon Ken Jennings will take up the mantle, but think about all the afternoons you could just expect to see Alex in the background on TV…
What is, a true American icon and a terrible loss for all?You’ll be sorely missed Alex. Rest in peace.
What is the worst news I could have heard today?Truly bummed. You will be remembered and sorely missed, Mr. Trebek.
So long, Mr. Trebek. I’ll take “Celebrities that died too early for $500.”
There aren’t too many things I enjoy just as much at 43 as I did at 10. It was a nightly battle, me and my slightly older brother when Jeopardy was one while helping mom clean the kitchen.Just a few weeks ago, the GF and I started up the episodes Netflix has … and wound up sitting around watching for SIX HOURS. Total blast.Fuck cancer.RIP, Trebek.
Lets not forget that Alex was born in Sudbury Ontario,
home of the giant smokestack which will remind you of The Pink Floyd Animals cover, until they tear down the smokestack this year or next.
It should have been walking cesspool Ben Stein instead.
How many people did he inspire to learn and take joy in having knowledge? What a great legacy for such a decent man. Rest In Peace.
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