Alex Trebek: last taped program, final air date, and replacement

The world is mourning the loss of Jeopardy host Alex Trebek who died today of stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Trebek had desired to finish out the last three years on his contract for the popular television show. This would have ended in 2022 but that was not to be. Fans are saddened that the 80 year old is no longer with us and many are curious regarding what will happen next. According to Fox News Trebek passed away at home surrounded by family and friends and had taped his final episode of the game show on October 29. Programs, where he is the host will run through December 2020. There will be no replacement announced at this time.

Trebek began hosting Jeopardy in 1984 and was the host of the syndicated game show for 36 years. He won the Guinness World Record for the game show host who aired the most episodes beating out Bob Barker from The Price is Right. He also hosted many other game shows, including Classic Concentration, The Wizard of Odds, To Tell the Truth, Double Dare, Battlestars, and High Rollers. Alex Trebek also made guest star appearances in numerous television series, where he usually played himself.

George Alexander Trebek was born on July 22, 1940 in Canada and had dual citizenship in the United States. He became a naturalized US citizen in 1998. He won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host seven times for Jeopardy. He also graduated from the University of Ottawa with a degree in Philosophy. Trebek married Elaine Callei in 1974 and he adopted her daughter Nicky. The couple had no children of their own and divorced in 1981. He married Jean Currivan in 1990, and they had two children, Matthew and Emily.

During Jeopardy's 18th season, in 2001, Trebek shaved the mustache that he had worn for more than 30 years. For the first half of the April 1, 2008, episode he wore a fake mustache as an April Fools' joke. The game show host regrew the mustache for the 31st season of Jeopardy in the summer of 2014. He shaved it off again only one month into the season. Alex Trebek grew out a full beard at the beginning of the 2018 season. During the second episode he shaved it down to a goatee and by the second week of that season, he was wearing a mustache again. The very next day he was clean shaven once more.

During a 2018 interview with Vulture, Trebek said he was a registered independent and politically moderate. He added that he was neither liberal nor conservative but did have some libertarian leanings. He told the magazine that he was raised Catholic as a child and considered himself a Christian based on his belief in God. The game show host suffered a minor heart attack at his home, on December 11, 2007, but returned to work as scheduled in January 2008. In June of 2012, Trebek suffered another mild heart attack and was able to return to work on Jeopardy the following month.

In 2018, During a 2018 interview with Harvey Levin on Fox News, Trebek said the odds of his retiring and leaving Jeopardy! in 2020 were "50/50 and a little less". In October of that year, Alex Trebek signed a new contract to continue as Jeopardy! host through 2022. In January 2019 he admitted that he was beginning to slow down due to his age, but said he was still able to manage the show's work schedule, which consists of taping 46 sessions each year. Trebek had said that if he did not beat the cancer that he had lived a full life and was not afraid of dying.