What Alex Trebek Was Doing In His Final Days

The late Alex Trebek was a part of our lives for just about as long as we can remember. In fact, most millennials (and all post-millennials) knew him as the host of Jeopardy! for their entire lives, since he had that gig since 1984. And we'll get to enjoy him at work for a little longer, since Jeopardy!'s producers say new episodes shot before Trebek's passing will air through December. Trebek, who passed away at age 80 from pancreatic cancer on November 8th, 2020, will be sorely missed, but not just for his genial game show host persona, or even his charity work via the Trebek Family Foundation. Where he made perhaps his greatest impact was with the courageous way he faced up to his cancer diagnosis and even de-mystified his terminal disease by keeping all of us in the loop. Trebek received the diagnosis in March of 2019 and somehow managed to continue working despite undergoing incredibly painful chemotherapy. While it seemed he was on the mend by last summer and released a short video about how he was looking forward to Season 37, Trebek's remission proved to be a short one. Trebek did make it through the season, however, continuing his treatment throughout the quarantine period, and releasing an optimistic video in July, as well as telling Good Morning America that he'd be undergoing an experimental new treatment. Through it all, Trebek kept on working, filming Jeopardy! episodes through October 29th. In fact, the beloved host told the New York Times in July that although he was feeling unwell during his chemotherapy treatments in the summer, resuming taping for Jeopardy! actually made him feel stronger. Also in July, Trebek published a book called The Answer Is ... Reflections on My Life. This memoir was written after his cancer diagnosis, so he's pretty candid in it that he probably doesn't have much longer to live. One question he tackles is that of how he'd like people to think of him after he's gone. There's no question he achieved these goals. His wife, Jean, and his kids all cite him as an important influence in their lives as well as an amazing dad. Trebek also shared a close relationship with all-time Jeopardy! champ Ken Jennings, and Jennings and other Jeopardy! champs have been posting heartfelt tributes on social media as they grieve over his passing. Perhaps the one Jeopardy! champ Trebek influenced the most, long before they even met, was Burt Thakur. Thakur, who moved to the U.S. from India at age 8, credited the game show with helping him learn English as a child. We'll take "role models" for $400, Alex. While we don't like that final answer, we're grateful for all the time we had with Mr. Trebek. His last Jeopardy! episode, set to air on December 25th, is one present that will need to come wrapped with a few boxes of tissues. Keep watching to see What Alex Trebek Was Doing In His Final Days. #AlexTrebek