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The definition of a Hollywood icon? Answer: Who is Alex Trebek?
The longtime Jeopardy! host died at age 80 on Sunday, Nov. 8. He had battled pancreatic cancer for more than a year.
“Jeopardy! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends,” read a post shared on the show’s Twitter page. “Thank you, Alex.”
He is survived by his wife of 30 years, Jean Trebek, and their adult children Emily and Matthew.
Trebek was born and raised in Sudbury in Ontario, Canada on July 22, 1940 and spoke both English and French growing up. In 1961, he graduated from the University of Ottawa with a degree in philosophy and started working as a news and sports announcer and TV host for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
In the ’70s, he began working as a game show host in the United States, hosting programs such as Double Dare and High Rollers. In 1984, Trebek became the first host of today’s version of Jeopardy!, a syndicated revival of a ’60s trivia game show, and hosted it until just over a week before his death.
For his work on Jeopardy!, Trebek was nominated for 31 Daytime Emmys, winning seven. He also received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Daytime Emmys in 2011.