Alex Trebek has passed away after publicly revealing his stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis over a year and half ago. The Canadian born Trebek rose to become an American pop culture icon and was a fixture in peoples homes around the world for being the beloved host of Jeopardy! for more than 35 years. He was 80 years old.
His death was confirmed in a statement posted by the Twitter account for Jeopardy! on Sunday, which noted that Trebek died earlier the same day (on Nov. 8) surrounded by his loved ones.
In October, Trebek said he was “hanging in” there after announcing he was undergoing another round of chemotherapy. “We’ll play it by ear and keep chugging along until we either win or lose,” he told CTV News, adding he’s “not afraid of dying.”
“I’ve lived a good life, a full life, and I’m nearing the end of that life,” Trebek shared. “If it happens, why should I be afraid of that?”
The symptoms of pancreatic cancer may include abdominal pain, loss of appetite, depression, new-onset diabetes, skin yellowing, and fatigue, according to the Mayo Clinic.
It is often not detected until it is more advanced, making this particular type of cancer so deadly.
Trebek said before his diagnosis, he experienced abdominal pain.
“I wish I had known sooner that the persistent stomach pain I experienced prior to my diagnosis was a symptom of pancreatic cancer,” he said.
The beloved host then asked his fans to participate in Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month last November by wearing purple and helping spread awareness.
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“Pancreatic cancer, like all cancer, hides from you and hides at a really bad place,” Oz added, “right in the middle of your body where you can’t tell it’s there.”
Alex Trebek revealed that while he had not determined when his last day on Jeopardy! would have been, he did know how his last show will end.
“It’ll be a significant moment but I’ve kind of, in my mind, rehearsed it already,” said Trebek. “And what I would do on that day is tell the director, time the show down to leave me 30 seconds at the end, that’s all I want.”
There are still shows Trebek filmed and his last one will air on Christmas day, no word yet if Alex had filmed a segment knowing it was his last show or not.
Please keep his family in your prayers during this time.
