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Los Angeles:
Alex Trebek, whose a long time as host of the quiz present “Jeopardy!” made him one of the preferred fixtures on American tv, died on Sunday at age 80.
Trebek had waged a really public battle towards pancreatic most cancers for practically two years, however continued taping his program till just lately.
His dying was introduced on Twitter by the “Jeopardy!” account, which mentioned Trebek “passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends,” including, “Thank you, Alex.”
CNN media analyst Brian Stelter referred to as Trebek “the greatest game show host of his generation… You always watched, and you came away smarter.”
Even Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted his condolences for the household of the Canadian-born Trebek.
“We have lost an icon,” he mentioned. “Almost every night for more than three decades, Alex Trebek entertained and educated millions around the world, instilling in so many of us a love for trivia.”
Trebek, who turned a US citizen in 1998, had hosted “Jeopardy!” since 1984.
– A 36-year run –
He beforehand hosted different recreation reveals, together with “Double Dare” and “Classic Concentration,” in addition to internet hosting the National Geographic Bee for 25 years.
But it was his time at “Jeopardy!” — a 36-year run virtually unheard of by tv requirements — and his clear intelligence, gentlemanly aplomb and sly good humor that earned him the everlasting devotion of thousands and thousands of viewers.
He additionally gained a slew of awards. Trebek was a five-time daytime Emmy Award winner. He had a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
He was so deeply immersed in American widespread tradition that Trebek — or his imitators — appeared in quite a few films and TV reveals; comic Will Ferrell performed him on “Saturday Night Live”; he as soon as even drew headlines by shaving his signature moustache.
Sometimes two and even three generations of viewers would collect earlier than televisions to look at him.
One contestant, Burt Thakur, grew tearful on a just lately aired episode when he informed Trebek how, as a small baby in India, he watched the present on his grandfather’s lap.
“I realized English due to you. And so, my grandfather who raised me – I’m going to get tears proper now – I used to take a seat on his lap and watch you day by day.
– Cancer diagnosis –
Trebek received a flood of supportive mail after announcing his Stage 4 cancer. “I’m going to battle this,” he told his fans. Many wrote to tell him they were inspired by his battle.
He had had earlier health scares, including two heart attacks and a bad auto accident, but always came back.
George Alexander Trebek was born on July 22, 1940, in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. His father was a Ukrainian immigrant; his mother a French-speaking Canadian.
With a degree in philosophy in hand, he went to work for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1961; by 1966 he was hosting a high school quiz show.
Trebek moved to the United States in 1973 to host a new NBC game show, “The Wizard of Odds.”
He took over the reins at “Jeopardy!” in 1984 when a friend of his, original host Art Fleming, declined to return.
Trebek held the record for the most game show episodes hosted by the same presenter, at 6,829, according to Variety.
“You work exhausting, you do your greatest,” he mentioned with typical modesty at one awards present.
He and his spouse Jean Currivan have two youngsters.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)
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