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'Jeopardy!' Host Alex Trebek Dies at 80

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Alex Trebek has died at the age of 80, according to Jeopardy!’s Twitter account on Sunday, after battling pancreatic cancer. Trebek shared that he was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in March 2019. For 36 years, Trebek was the host of Jeopardy!, and won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host seven times for his work on the show.

A Jeopardy! spokesperson told TMZ that Trebek “passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends.” Prior to his passing, Trebek spoke to Good Morning America in 2019 about what he told his Jeopardy! staff to not say after his passing because he has lived a very full life, sharing:

One line that I have used with our staff in recent weeks and months is that when I do pass on, one thing they will not say at my funeral is, ‘Oh, he was taken from us too soon. Hey guys, I’m 79 years old. I’ve had one hell of a good life and I’ve enjoyed it. The thought of passing on doesn’t frighten me.

Fans and friends, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, responded to Trebek’s death on social media and offered condolences.

ABC News will air a 20/20 special “Alex Trebek, Remembered” in Trebek’s honor tonight at at 10/9c on ABC.

Image via Jeopardy!/Twitter

Originally published: November 8, 2020
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