Inside Beloved Jeopardy Host Alex Trebek's Heart-Wrenching Battle With Cancer

Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek was renowned for his sunny nature. Although his passing in November of 2020 was devastating for fans around the world, he is remembered for remaining positive and keeping his sense of humor 'til the very end. So when he received the news that he had stage four pancreatic cancer, he shared his diagnosis on social media (but in typical Trebek fashion, kept it light). In response, fans came together to support the beloved gameshow host in totally unexpected ways, prompting Mr. Trebek to make a final statement that fans won't soon forget.

Opening Up

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Trebeck decided to be so open with his followers, though. Back in March 2019, after all, the host shared the news about his cancer on YouTube. In a video released on the Jeopardy! channel, he said, “Just like 50,000 other people in the U.S. each year, this week I was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer.”

Optimistic Outlook

Trebek continued, “Now, normally, the prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but I’m going to fight this. And I’m going to keep working and with the love and support of my family and friends – and with the help of your prayers also – I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease.” For reference, the American Cancer Society states that only around 9 percent of those with pancreatic cancer live for five years.

Keeping It Light

However, Trebek had clearly not lost his sense of humor. He continued, “Truth told, I have to [keep working] because under the terms of my contract, I have to host Jeopardy! for three more years. So help me. Keep the faith, and we’ll win. We’ll get it done.”

Making An Exit Plan

And it turned out that Trebek already knew how he planned to bow out of Jeopardy!. In early 2020, you see, he shared what he had in mind for his last day on the show. The presenter was close-mouthed about when that day would come, of course, but he did know exactly how he pictured it happening.

TV Dream

Indeed, Trebek led a long and exciting life since being born in 1940 in Ontario, Canada. His first taste of the world of work came in his teens as a bellhop. Yet his dream was always to work as a newscaster. And in due course, Trebek did exactly that – reading the news for the Canadian broadcaster CBC and later hosting game shows.

Becoming A Host

Then, in his 30s, Trebek shifted to the United States, where he hosted The Wizard of Odds for NBC. He became a familiar face with guest roles and hosting gigs on various other shows, too. But his big moment arrived in 1984 when Jeopardy! began its revival. At the time, the original presenter, Art Fleming, knocked back the new hosting role.

The Road To Jeopardy!

Media bigshot Merv Griffin created Jeopardy! in the 1960s. In the show, contestants are given the answers to unseen questions – that they then must provide. The original series ran in various forms through the 1960s and ’70s. Then, in 1984, Jeopardy! was rebooted as a daily syndicated show on NBC with Trebek at the helm.

Smashing Success

And Jeopardy! has been a roaring success ever since. Its 8,000-plus episodes have earned 33 Daytime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award, for instance. The show is also rated as one of American TV’s finest programs. Trebek has been there throughout it all, too. In fact, many millions of Americans have watched the host over several decades of programming.

Terminal Prognosis

So it’s no surprise that the news of Trebek’s cancer shocked and saddened his many fans. This was especially true because the form of the disease that Trebek had was so consistently terminal. For those who don’t know, pancreatic cancer occurs predominately among those aged over 60.

Critical Organ

The pancreas is a small organ that lies in the back of the stomach. It is a lot wider at one end than it is at the other and looks a bit like a fish. An adult’s pancreas is also roughly six inches long but no more than a couple of inches wide. And most cancers of the pancreas begin after the exocrine cells of the organ begin expanding unchecked.

Exocrine Cells

What are exocrine cells? Well, these cells make up most of the pancreas. The glands that they form secrete enzymes into ducts. These then carry the enzymes into the intestines, where they play a part in digestion – particularly of fats. The ducts are where pancreatic cancer starts in nearly all cases, too. It comes in the form of a tumor called an adenocarcinoma.

Staggering Remission

As for Trebek, his treatment initially seemed to be going well. In May 2019, for instance, he told People magazine that he was “near remission.” He said, “It’s kind of mind-boggling. The doctors said they hadn’t seen this kind of positive result in their memory… some of the tumors have already shrunk by more than 50 percent.”

False Positive

Yes, it appeared as if the host had turned a corner. In September 2019 Trebek told Good Morning America that, after the first round of chemo, he had been “doing so well.” And he said his medical reports had almost returned to ordinary levels. Trebek had even gone back to work – but the news did not remain positive.

Second Round Of Chemo

Trebek revealed to Good Morning America that he had been finding work physically and mentally grueling. He’d also started losing weight. He said, “I lost about 12 pounds in a week. And my numbers went sky high, much higher than they were when I was first diagnosed. So, the doctors have decided that I have to undergo chemo again, and that’s what I’m doing.”

Feeling Fallible

Trebek continued, “Early on, I was down on myself. I didn’t realize how fallible each of us is in his or her own way. I talk to the audience sometimes, and I get teary-eyed for no reason. I don’t even bother to explain it anymore. I just experience it. I know it’s a part of who I am, and I just keep going.”

Accepting Of Death

Despite the seriousness of the condition, though, Trebek had tried to remain strong. He told Good Morning America, “The thought of passing on doesn’t frighten me. Other things do. The effect it will have on my loved ones – yes, that bothers me. It makes me sad. But the thought of myself moving on? Hey, folks, it comes with the territory.”

Trouble Speaking

In October of that year, Trebek’s mind did turn to the possibility that his time on Jeopardy! might be limited. He told Canadian broadcaster CTV that the chemo had resulted in sores in his mouth, and this had made it more difficult to speak. He said, “I will keep doing [the show] as long as my skills do not diminish, and they have started to diminish.”

Taking On Others' Pain

Trebek also told CTV that he was sorry that he’d been so open about his cancer battle. He said this had brought lots of folks to see him as a beacon in their own experiences. But that had been hard for him because, as he told his interviewer, he doubted that he could bear “so much of others’ pain.”

Fan Support

Of course, there was an upside to speaking with lots of fans. Trebek talked to ABC News in January 2020 about how much his experience with cancer had meant to people. He said, “Because of that, and something else that is operating here, people all over America and abroad have decided they want to let me know now, while I’m alive, about the impact that I’ve been having on their existence.”

Public Strength

Yet it was dealing with the negative experiences of others that had taken a toll on the host. Trebek told Good Morning America in October 2019, “I don’t know if I’m strong enough or intelligent enough to help alleviate some of that despair, so it’s tough on me.” But even if he did feel that it was too much to expect him to be strong for others and himself, Trebek continued to display great strength in public.

A Long, Full Life

The host said, “The thought of the pancreatic cancer does not frighten me.” And when he considered the consequences, Trebek remained philosophical. He said, “I’m 79 years old. So, hey, I’ve lived a good life, a full life, and I’m nearing the end of that life. I know that.”

Bouts Of Depression

Trebek also talked to ABC News in December 2019 about how the diagnosis had impacted his mental wellbeing. He said, “My oncologist told me one of the symptoms, if you will, of pancreatic cancer is that you get these moments of depression.” However, the host explained that he was dealing with these bouts in his own way. He said, “I don’t mind getting choked up.”

Closed-Ended Life

Yet Trebek’s outlook on life and death had changed, as he explained. The host said, “I have learned something in the past year, and it’s this: we don’t know when we’re going to die. Because of the cancer diagnosis, it’s no longer an open-ended life. It’s a closed-ended life because of the... survival rates of pancreatic cancer.”

A Burden For Jean

And while Trebek found that he could cope with the fear, he recognized that it created a burden for his wife, Jean. He said, “It’s always tough for caretakers because she has to deal with her worrying about my well-being and also dealing with… I’m not always the most pleasant person to be around when I’m experiencing severe pain or depression, and she has to tread lightly around me.”

Milestone Year

Then in March 2020 Trebek reached the milestone of a year since he’d been diagnosed. And he decided that it was a good time to bring his fans up to date with his condition, so he released a video on Twitter. The host opened the clip by pointing out that only 18 percent of those with pancreatic cancer were expected to survive for a year, and he had done that.

Candid Recap

Trebek proceeded to set out what that year had been like. He said, “Now, I’d be lying if I said the journey had been an easy one. 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.”

Difficult Journey

And then Trebek described a truly hard year. He said, “There were moments of great pain. Moments when certain bodily functions no longer functioned and some massive attacks of great depression that made me wonder if it was really worth fighting on.”

A Betrayal To Jean

Talking about the depression, Trebek noted that throughout his experience with cancer he’d always had someone else to think about. He said, “I brushed [the sadness] aside very quickly, because that would have been a massive betrayal – a betrayal of my wife and soulmate, Jean, who has given her all to help me survive.”

Staying Strong

Trebek also acknowledged that his life had meaning to others beyond Jean. He said, “It would have been a betrayal of other cancer patients who have looked to me as an inspiration and a cheerleader of sorts of the value of living and hope. And it certainly would have been a betrayal of my faith in God and the millions of prayers that have been said on my behalf.”

Looking To Year Two

A man renowned for his sense of humor and quick wit could not be expected to get through such a serious talk without a smile, though. He went on, “You know my oncologist tried to cheer me up the other day... He was certain that one year from now, the two of us would be sitting in his office celebrating my second anniversary of survival.”

One Day At A Time

The host then wrapped up his update with a bit of positivity. He said, “And you know something, if I, no, if we – because so many of us are involved in this same situation – if we take it just one day at a time with a positive attitude, anything is possible. I’ll keep you posted.”

Touching Response

Trebek had also given an interview to WPXI in February 2020 where he’d had some upbeat things to say about sharing his story. The game show host explained, “All of the cards and letters I’ve received [and those] giving me advice and offering prayers for me has really touched me.”

Not Alone

The TV host continued, “Some people would say, ‘That’s a bad deal that [Trebek] has got.’ But there are a lot of people out there who have been informed that they have cancer, they have heart problems, serious other diseases, they have Parkinson’s, whatever, you name it.”

Feeling The Love

Trebek went on, “But they don’t have that great outpouring of warmth and prayerful thoughts coming from people all over America. That’s been a great help to me. I had no idea that our show and myself had such an impact on the lives of so many people out there.”

Final Message

But it wasn’t just messages in the mail that had blown Trebek away. Back in November 2019, he was left in tears when Jeopardy! contestant Dhruv Gaur used his final answer on the show to express his feelings about Trebek. Ingeniously, instead of a “proper” answer, Gaur wrote, “We [love] you, Alex!”

Realizing His Time

Trebek talked about the end of his time on Jeopardy!, too. He had foreshadowed this back in October 2019 when he mentioned his slurred speech. But in March 2020 Trebek said that the time when he would call it a day was approaching fast. And although he didn’t know when it would be, he did have a clear idea of how he wanted to bow out.

Just 30 Seconds

The game show superstar did not have anything big or astonishing planned for his finale, though. Trebek told ABC News, “I’ve kind of, in my mind, rehearsed it already, and what I would do on that day is tell the director, ‘Time the show down to leave me 30 seconds at the end. That’s all I want.’”

Giving His Farewell

Ever the pro, Trebek continued, “Don’t ask me who’s going to replace me because I have no say whatsoever. But I’m sure that if you give them the same love and attention and respect that you have shown me… then they will be a success and the show will continue being a success. And until we meet again, God bless you and goodbye.”

Taking His Leave

It was a tough journey for Trebek, but he continued on until November 2020 when he sadly lost his battle with cancer. A statement from the show’s spokesperson read, “Jeopardy! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends. Thank you, Alex.” Throughout his treatment, the host shared positive thoughts and words for those facing their own health struggles, and his legacy will undoubtedly continue.