It has been four years since Alex Trebek died of pancreatic cancer at 80, and Jeopardy! honored his memory with a touching tribute on their official Instagram page. “We lost Alex Trebek four years ago today. To honor his memory, Ken shares a story about Alex reflecting on the love he felt from his fans,” the post read.
Accompanying the caption was a clip showing the current Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings, who recalled a memorable conversation he had with Alex in 2019. He revealed that the support from fans blew away the late TV personality after he went public with his diagnosis.
Alex Trebek was shocked by the reactions to his cancer diagnosis
Alex had a one-on-one conversation with Ken, who revealed that it took Alex a lot to do his job as his health was failing. Alex gave him an emotional account of how kind fans have been to him since they learned about his cancer, and the gifts he had received so far.
Ken mentioned that Alex took his time to read through every letter despite receiving thousands of them alongside blankets and emails. Ken had a realization at that moment that Alex was more than just a show host to viewers and those who worked with him.
Fans pay tribute to Alex Trebek
Jeopardy! fans took to the comments with kind words for Trebek, who battled pancreatic cancer for almost two years before his passing. “I cried when he died like I knew him personally,” someone wrote, and a few others recalled their similar reaction to the sad news.
Ken also received some praise for doing a good job since taking over as Jeopardy!’s host in season 40. “We love you Trebek!!!! Ken you are doing such a great job hosting, nobody else could step in and keep Jeopardy alive the way you have!” a second follower said.