Advertisement

As fans grieve Alex Trebek, his widow shares a sweet photo from their wedding

Alex Trebek presents an award at the Daytime Emmy Awards in May 2019.
Alex Trebek presents an award at the Daytime Emmy Awards in May 2019.
(Chris Pizzello / Invision/Associated Press)
Share

The world continues to mourn Alex Trebek.

The “Jeopardy!” host and trivia master died Sunday at age 80 of pancreatic cancer. Trebek vowed to fight the Stage 4 disease when he was diagnosed in March 2019.

Trebek’s wife of 30 years, real estate project manager Jean Currivan, took to Instagram Wednesday to share a tender photo of their marriage and a heartfelt message.

“My family and I sincerely thank you all for your compassionate messages and generosity,” she wrote. “Your expressions have truly touched our hearts. Thank you so very, very much.”

Advertisement

The Canadian American TV personality is survived by Currivan and three children, Matthew, Emily and Nicky.

The stream of comments piling up on Currivan’s post reflect a world grieving “a beloved figure, a historical personage.”

“I am 41 years old and I grew up with Alex and Jeopardy,” wrote one user from Saskatchewan, Canada. “We always told my mum she should be on the show as she could answer so many of the trivia questions while the rest of us fumbled! I now have four kids and we all gather around to watch.”

“Canada has lost an icon, the world has lost a hero, and by all accounts, you have lost an amazing husband and father,” the comment continued. “Our prayers go out to you all as you navigate your ‘new normal.’ Alex will live on through the many lives he touched both on and off screen.”

Advertisement

Nicky Trebek — the TV personality’s adopted daughter with his first wife, Elaine — also shared an imageof prayer candles on Tuesday to commemorate her dad’s passing.

But the collective mourning for the “comfortable fit with audiences — fatherly, dependable, the keeper of all questions” extends far beyond his family.

After a long battle with pancreatic cancer, the celebrated game show host passed away at his home.

Nov. 8, 2020

“With his quick wit, easy smile and my-favorite-professor demeanor,” wrote The Times’ Steve Marble, “Trebek drove the game show back up the ratings charts and for decades remained a comfortable television host in the living rooms of America.”

In the days following Trebek’s death, journalists and celebrities ranging from singer Mariah Carey to NFL player Aaron Rodgers chimed in with their own favorite memories of the charismatic host.

“What we ‘Jeopardy!’ fans have lost obviously pales in comparison to the loss of Trebek’s loved ones,” wrote The Times’ Lucas Kwan Peterson, a three-time “Jeopardy!” winner. “But it’s a particularly tough time for the country to lose someone like him. … He offered impartial truth during an era when that concept has been warped and rendered all but meaningless.”

Advertisement

Trebek’s legacy will, of course, live on. The Daytime Emmy winner continued filming the game show while battling cancer, and his final episode as host will air Christmas Day.

Trebek had suggested a few possible successors for the coveted host role. The frontrunner? Alex Faust, the Los Angeles Kings’ play-by-play announcer. Famed contestants Ken Jennings, James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter, who competed earlier this year on “Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time,” also are in the running.

In remembrance of Alex Trebek, who died Sunday after a battle with pancreatic cancer, here’s a roundup of some of the longtime “Jeopardy!” host’s best moments.

Nov. 8, 2020

Advertisement