Following the death of “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek, Canada has begun to process the loss of an icon and a beacon of positivity.
By Shannon Schaefer
A memorial was set up outside of Alex Trebek’s Canadian Star of Fame, near Simcoe and King St., Toronto, following his death (Shannon Schaefer/CanCulture)
Longtime “Jeopardy!” host and Canadian-born icon Alex Trebek has passed away at 80-years-old, as announced by the program early Sunday morning. Native to Sudbury, Ont., Trebek has long been recognized for his stellar contributions to the game show industry.
For most Canadians, Trebek became a household name during his nearly four decades of hosting Jeopardy!. He was the friendly face that lit up family TV screens at dinner time with Jeopardy! holding the 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. prime time slots on major channels like ABC and NBC.
You could almost call Trebek a family friend to Canadians, a timeless figure who brought smiles and healthy rivalries to households around the globe as everyone fought to be the first one to get the correct answer to a Trebek clue.
“I called my dad tonight and he asked me if I had heard the sad news,” said fan Monika Dutt, whose father has been an avid watcher of Trebek since migrating to Canada from India. “I had known Jeopardy was a constant in my home, but I never realized how much Alex Trebek meant to my dad.”
“His death has impacted me like I knew him,” said Mia Maaytah whose family had a ritual to watch the show together and guess answers. “The way society moves and changes is unforgiving yet, Alex always stayed clear of that. For being the longest running host of a game show, he was never part of scandals. I am proud that he was a Canadian.”
In his self-written memoir The Answer is…: Reflections on My Life, released July of this year, Trebek briefly reflected on his journey with Stage-4 pancreatic cancer which he first announced in March 2019.
He wrote, “Being willing to show people how you truly feel and admit that you’re a wuss is one of the toughest things a person can do. It’s also one of the most helpful things a person can do. Because sharing your feelings with others brings people closer together.”
In complete honor of his own values, Trebek kept his loyal fan base up to date with his battle until the very end.
It has since been confirmed that Trebek’s last day in the studio was Oct. 29 meaning that there are still unseen episodes of Jeopardy! that the world can cherish as everyone begins to heal from this loss. The episodes are expected to air through Dec. 25.
“Today we lost a legend and a beloved member of the Sony Pictures family,” said Tony Vinciquerra, chairman- CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment in a written statement. “For 37 amazing years, Alex was that comforting voice, that moment of escape and entertainment at the end of a long, hard day for millions of people around the world. He was the heart and soul of ‘Jeopardy!’ and he will be deeply missed by everyone who made him part of their lives.”
The CanCulture family continues to send love and light to Trebek’s family, to his studio family at Sony Pictures Entertainment - especially to long time announcer, Jimmy Gilbert - and to the fans around the world that have been impacted by this loss. In a time when the world can feel so dark, losing a light as bright as Trebek is extremely difficult.
Trebek, the answer is “the world will miss you.”