He was the host of more than 8,000 episodes of the iconic game show Jeopardy for 37 years.
If you came up with the correct question as "Who is Alex Trebek?', you're right. Trebek passed away on November 8 at the age of 80, following a lengthy battle with Stage Four pancreatic cancer.
Trebek was born in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada on July 22, 1942 and graduated from the University of Ottawa with a major in philosophy. He got into broadcasting as a way to help finance his studies.
He began his broadcasting career working for the government ownd Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1963 as host of an American Bandstand show titled Music Hop. Before he came to the United States, he worked at the CBC in both radio and TV, including a high school quiz show titled Reach for the Top.
In 1973, Trebek got his big break when his friend and fellow Canadian Alan Thicke to become the host of the NBC game show The Wizard of Odds. Though the show only ran for one season opposite CBS' hit game show Gambit, it would not be the end of Trebek's hosting career. He would go on to host High Rollers, Double Dare (before a kids game with the same name became popular), The $128,000 Question, Pitfall, Battlestars, Classic Concentration and the 1990 incarnation of To Tell the Truth.
But the show that made Trebek a household name was Jeopardy. In 1984, Merv Griffin hired him to host the revival of the answer and question game that was last seen in 1979. After a slow start, the show picked up higher ratings when local stations aired the show in prime time access slots along with another Griffin creation Wheel of Fortune and the show's popularity took off.
In addition to hosting Jeopardy, Trebek did a lot of work for charitable organizations, including the United Negro College Fund and World Vision. He was also the long time host of The National Geographic Bee that has aired for years on both PBS and the National Geographic Channel.
Though diagnosed with Stage Four pancreatic cancer in 2019, Trebek continued to host Jeopardy, including the Greatest of All Time Tournament that featured Ken Jennings, James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter.
The big question is who will replace Trebek when Jeopardy resumes taping shows to air in 2021. It's not HSGN policy to speculate on a possible replacement but one candidate comes to mind, Mo Rocca. He's a regular contributor to the CBS News show Sunday Morning, the NPR radio quiz Wait Wait! Don't Tell Me and also hosted the National Geography Bee. Who will take over Trebek? No need to phrase your response in the form of a question because it's a tough clue for Jeopardy fans.
May he rest in peace.
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