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 The death of Canadian-born
Trebek, who in March 2019 revealed his diagnosis
of stage IV pancreatic cancer, was shared on the
show's official Twitter account. Trebek passed
away peacefully at home surrounded by family and
friends, the show's tweet said.
It quickly drew condolences from Canadian Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau and others.
"We have lost an icon," Canadian Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau said on Twitter.
Trudeau said Trebek instilled "a love for
trivia" for millions around the world. Trebek
was much loved in Canada, and he was proud of
his Canadian roots.
"Alex Trebek was the pride of Sudbury and a
strong supporter of his alma mater the
University of Ottawa," said Erin O'Toole, the
leader of the main Conservative opposition party
in Canada.
Trebek donated millions to his alma mater over
the years, and in a 2019 interview with the
Canadian Broadcasting Corp., he said Ottawa,
where he got his first broadcast experience with
the CBC, was his favorite city in Canada.
For some fans, news of Trebek's death surpassed
the world's biggest news story - Joe Biden
winning the U.S. presidency.
"I don't really care about election lawsuits or
transition plans, I just want to dwell on how
much Alex Trebek and JEOPARDY! meant to me as a
small kid who turned into a trivia maniac. It
was always the best game show on television by
far. Nothing approached it, or him," said a
Twitter user identified as @EsotericCD.
Twenty years after "Jeopardy!" first aired in
1964, Trebek became the face of the show and
turned it into a ratings powerhouse.
"Jeopardy!" which requires contestants to
display their knowledge of a broad range of
trivia topics by providing their answers in the
form of a question, has consistently drawn more
than 20 million viewers a week in the United
States and Canada, making it the most-watched
quiz show in those markets.
Its ratings have risen even higher when
contestants have racked up several weeks of
consecutive wins.
Trebek, who was known for engaging contestants
with straight-faced but witty banter and for his
scholarly demeanor and scrupulous pronunciation,
hosted more than 7,000 episodes of "Jeopardy!"
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 Trebek won six Emmy Awards for
outstanding game-show host, most recently in
2019, and also received a Lifetime Achievement
Emmy in 2011. The Hollywood Reporter said in a
2014 article that Trebek was earning $10 million
a year.
CANADA TO CALIFORNIA
Trebek was born in the nickel-mining city of
Sudbury, Ontario, the son of a Ukrainian
immigrant father and a French-Canadian mother.
He earned a degree in philosophy at the
University of Ottawa, beginning his career in
broadcasting while still attending school.
After hosting a number of television shows in
Canada during the 1960s, Trebek was encouraged
to move to California in 1973 by the late actor
Alan Thicke, a fellow Canadian, to host a
short-lived NBC game show called "The Wizard of
Odds." He hosted a few other shows before
joining "Jeopardy!"
Television personality Merv Griffin, along with
his wife, Julann, came up with the idea for
"Jeopardy! in the 1960s.
Art Fleming, who died in 1995, served as the
show's original host in its initial run from
1964 to 1975 and in a 1978-79 revival.
When Griffin revived "Jeopardy!" again after a
hiatus of several years, producers chose Trebek
to host it and Trebek also helped produce the
show for his first three seasons.
One of the gigs that helped him secure the
position was a temporary role on "Wheel of
Fortune," another game show Griffin had created,
according to an interview Trebek gave in 2007.
Viewers became oddly attached to the mustache
Trebek sported from early in his career until he
shaved it off in 2001. It made headlines when he
grew back the mustache in 2014.
Trebek is survived by his wife, Jean, and their
two adult children, Emily and Matthew.
(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Additional
reporting by Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Dan
Whitcomb and Peter Cooney)
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