The final Jeopardy!
Beloved Canadian TV host Trebek's last episode set to air on Christmas Day
Alex Trebek's final episode as Jeopardy! host has an air date.
The Sudbury, Ont.-born game show host, who died Sunday after a battle with pancreatic cancer, was filming new episodes of the long-running quiz show until late last month, with Oct. 29 marking his last day in the studio.
New episodes featuring Trebek will air straight through until December, with his final appearance coming on Christmas Day.
Trebek first revealed the news of his pancreatic cancer diagnosis in March 2019. But he was back at work in no time, announcing, “I'm going to fight this and I'm going to keep working.”
Earlier this year, Trebek announced he had beaten the oneyear survival rate for stage 4 pancreatic cancer, which is 18 per cent. “I'm very happy to report I have just reached that marker,” Trebek said in March.
His death was confirmed by the show on social media on Sunday.
“Jeopardy! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends,” the show tweeted. “Thank you, Alex.”
Fans and celebrities mourned Trebek's death on social media, with two of the game show's biggest names sharing tributes.
Jeopardy! great Ken Jennings tweeted, “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.”
James Holzhauer, who made headlines last year during his 32-game winning streak, also shared his condolences, remembering a press appearance alongside Trebek earlier this year to promote the Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time special.
“(The) interviewers knew even the greatest contestants come and go, but the greatest host is eternal,” he recalled. “Keep wearing that title belt wherever you are now, friend. You certainly earned it.”
After the coronavirus pandemic paused production on Jeopardy! in March, Trebek put the finishing touches on his memoir, The Answer Is ..., which was released in July. Amid the pandemic, Trebek began filming new episodes, which began airing in September.
But speaking to Good Morning America in July, the TV personality revealed he had decided to plan for a worst-case scenario in the event his health took a turn, saying he wasn't “going to go to any extraordinary measures to ensure my survival.”
“There was one day a few weeks ago when (wife) Jeanie asked me in the morning, `How do you feel?' And I said, `I feel like I wanna die.' It was that bad,” he said.
Jeopardy! producers have yet to announce Trebek's replacement, but he joked on GMA this summer that he wanted his longtime friend Betty White to take the reins.
“I joke with the audience all the time and I say, `Betty White,' because they want somebody younger, somebody funnier.”