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Celebrities and fans pay tribute to Alex Trebek

The legendary 'Jeopardy' host died of pancreatic cancer at age 80.
November 9, 2020 9:47 a.m. EST
November 11, 2020 11:00 p.m. EST
JEOPARDY! THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME On the heels of the iconic Tournament of Champions, "JEOPARDY!" is coming to ABC in a multiple consecutive night event with "JEOPARDY! The Greatest of All Time," premiering TUESDAY, JAN. 7 (8:00-9:00 p.m. EST), on ABC. Hosted by Alex Trebek, "JEOPARDY! The Greatest of All Time" is produced by Sony Pictures Television. (Eric McCandless via Getty Images)ALEX TREBEK JEOPARDY! THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME On the heels of the iconic Tournament of Champions, "JEOPARDY!" is coming to ABC in a multiple consecutive night event with "JEOPARDY! The Greatest of All Time," premiering TUESDAY, JAN. 7 (8:00-9:00 p.m. EST), on ABC. Hosted by Alex Trebek, "JEOPARDY! The Greatest of All Time" is produced by Sony Pictures Television. (Eric McCandless via Getty Images)ALEX TREBEK
The world has only had about a day to process the sudden passing of longtime Jeopardy host Alex Trebek, but the tributes, memories, photos and well-wishes for his family have been steadily pouring in.The show released an official statement on November 8, revealing the 80-year-old Sudbury, Ont. native had died. “Jeopardy! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends. Thank you, Alex,” it shared on Twitter. Trebek had been battling Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, but at time of press no official cause of death had been released.[video_embed id='2072936']RELATED: Mayor of Alex Trebek's home town remembers the late 'Jeopardy!' host[/video_embed]Immediately celebs, former players, fans and those who knew Trebek or just felt familiar with him (having welcomed him into their living rooms for 37 seasons), shared their condolences. It’s hardly a question as to why. According to Variety, Trebek has held the Guinness World Record for the most gameshow episodes hosted by the same presenter (same program) since June 13, 2014. In total he hosted more than 8,200 episodes of Jeopardy over his career. And pretty much everyone attributes that success to how likely and relatable the Canadian was as a host. Fellow Canadians paid tribute to Trebek as well. VanCity’s Ryan Reynolds revealed that the host had filmed a cameo for the upcoming Free Guy film despite his ongoing battle with cancer. Meanwhile flowers and candles have been placed on Trebek’s star on Canada’s Walk of Fame, along with his star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. Other fans have already started the campaign to have Will Ferrell and Darrell Hammond reprise their respective roles as Trebek and Sean Connery (who passed away last week), on the upcoming episode of Saturday Night Live. For now, fans can still watch Trebek host his final episodes of Jeopardy, as the show was always pre-taped. The man’s final day of filming was October 29, which means his last ever episode airs on Christmas Day. Unfortunately, Trebek won’t get the sendoff he’d always planned. Earlier this year during a panel at the Television Critics Association (TCA) Winter Press Tour, someone asked Trebek about his retirement plans and how he’d like to say goodbye. At the time he hadn’t made a decision about stepping down, but he knew it would be random when he did.“I have just made a decision, and I made this decision a long time ago, that what I would do, it would be the same as when I shaved my mustache,” he revealed. “I would do it on a whim. On that particular day, I will speak to [producer] Harry [Friedman], and I will speak to Clay [Jacobsen], our director, and tell them, ‘Give me 30 seconds at the end of the program. That's all I need to say goodbye, because it's going to be the last show.’”Sadly, he’ll never get those 30 seconds. But he did take the time in his final year to release a memoir while continuing to keep fans apprised of his health. And, upon hearing the news of Trebek’s passing, the TCA broke its protocol of never sharing footage from its awards shows or panels, and released a filmed acceptance speech from Trebek that he taped this past summer when he won the Lifetime Achievement Award.“I was looking over a list of some of the previous honourees, people like Walter Cronkite, David Brinkley. My good friends Lucille Ball and Betty White. Johnny Carson, Bob Hope, Fred Rogers, Sid Caesar, Carol Burnett, Oprah Winfrey and now… Alex Trebek,” he said from the iconic set. “I am truly humbled and most appreciative. Thank you so much.”

[video_embed id='2073390']WATCH: Remembering Alex Trebek's and the legacy he leaves behind[/video_embed]

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