The entire country is in mourning after the legendary “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek passed away on Sunday at the age of 80 following a battle with pancreatic cancer. Now, “Jeopardy!” champions Ken Jennings and James Holzhauer are speaking out to pay tribute to the iconic host.
“Alex wasn’t just the best ever at what he did. He was also a lovely and deeply decent man, and I’m grateful for every minute I got to spend with him,” Jennings wrote on Twitter alongside a photo of himself and Trebek. “Thinking today about his family and his Jeopardy! family—which, in a way, included millions of us.”
Thinking today about his family and his Jeopardy! family—which, in a way, included millions of us.
— Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) November 8, 2020 [1]
Jennings holds the record for most consecutive games won and highest winnings, according to the show’s website. [2] Earlier this year, he won the “Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time” tournament, becoming the show’s best player ever.
Holzhauer is a professional gambler who made headlines during his 32-day streak on the show. He ended up taking home $2.462 million during his time on the show, making him the second-biggest winner in “Jeopardy!” history.
“It was one of the great privileges of my life to spend time with this courageous man while he fought the battle of his life. You will never be replaced in our hearts, Alex,” Holzhauer tweeted.
“Alex was so much more than a host. He was an impartial arbiter of truth and facts in a world that needs exactly that. He was someone you could count on to entertain you every weekday, even when his health barely allowed it. And he was an underrated rapper,” he added, alongside a video of Trebek reciting rap lyrics.
Alex was so much more than a host. He was an impartial arbiter of truth and facts in a world that needs exactly that. He was someone you could count on to entertain you every weekday, even when his health barely allowed it. And he was an underrated rapper: pic.twitter.com/ybvp7RlvjH [3]
— James Holzhauer (@James_Holzhauer) November 8, 2020 [4]
Holzauer concluded the tribute by urging anyone wishing to honor the host’s memory to consider donating to his favorite charity, World Vision. [5]
Anyone wishing to honor Alex’s memory should consider a donation to his favorite charity, World Vision. https://t.co/E7MtevSAx5 [6]
— James Holzhauer (@James_Holzhauer) November 8, 2020 [7]
CBS News [8] reported that Trebek announced that he had stage 4 pancreatic cancer in March of 2019, and despite the bleak diagnosis, he never missed a single day of work.
“I’d be lying if I said the journey had been an easy one,” Trebek said in an emotional video at the time. “There were some good days, but a lot of not-so-good days. I joked with friends that the cancer won’t kill me, the chemo treatments will.”
Trebek said in May of 2019 that “it wouldn’t be right” for him to walk away from the show that he’d hosted since 1984.
“It wouldn’t be right for me to walk away from this if I can possibly do it,” Trebek said. “And I managed to do it. So, what’s the big deal?”
This piece originally appeared in UpliftingToday.com [9] and is used by permission.
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