By: Ella Metzler ‘22
Alex Trebek, born George Alexander Trebek, was a Canadian-American who was best known for hosting the game show Jeopardy! from 1984 until his death in 2020. Trebek was extremely successful, and widely recognized, engaging millions of viewers nightly. Trebek first honed his skills as a television broadcaster in Canada and began his American journey in 1973, hosting the game show, Wizard of Odds. Following many other hosting roles, he became the host of Jeopardy!. Trebek won seven Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Game Show Host as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television, Arts, and Sciences. Additionally, he holds the Guinness World Record for Most Game Show Episodes Hosted by the Same Presenter, clocking in more than 8,000 games of Jeopardy.
Fans were stunned to learn in March of 2019 that their beloved game show host was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Upon hearing the news, fans were hopeful that he could overcome it. While Trebek, his wife Jean, and two children, were living in Los Angeles, he published a memoir, The Answer Is… Reflections on My Life. In his book, Trebek wrote, “Quality of life was an important consideration,” in the decision of whether or not to seek medical help. Modern medicine did not provide much comfort to him, so he decided to live the remainder of his life to the fullest, later stating that he was “not afraid of dying.” Trebek passed away on November 8th, 2020, at the age of 80. Overall, Alex Trebek was a pop culture icon and left an immeasurable legacy on American television.