Ken Jennings is promoting PanCAN’s Purple Stride event this Saturday to honor the late “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek, who passed away from pancreatic cancer at age 80.
The annual event is organized by the non-profit organization Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, better known as PanCAN. Created in 1999, the no-profit organization funds research, provides support, and advocates for federal research for those affected by pancreatic cancer.
Ken Jennings Promotes #PanCANPurpleStride In Memory Of Late ‘Jeopardy!’ Host Alex Trebek
You can help end pancreatic cancer by joining #PanCANPurpleStride this Saturday, April 29! It’s @PanCAN’s big annual fundraiser to support patients and their families. Join the movement and register for free at https://t.co/xOLJxNlo5i pic.twitter.com/qLyMrPMCNL
— Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) April 24, 2023
On Monday, “Jeopardy!” co-host Ken Jennings took to Twitter to promote the annual PanCAN fundraiser to support patients and their families. The event, which takes place this Saturday, is free and can be done wherever you are.
In 2004, Ken won 74 games in a row, which is starting to seem like an unbeatable record. During his lengthy run, Ken developed a close relationship with Alex Trebek, which led him not only to be involved in the show as a consulting producer, but as a hosting replacement even before Alex passed away.
In September 2022, Ken recalled the conversation he had with Alex to the Washington Post. “He said, ‘Hey, we’ve been talking, and if you’re serious about being retired from Jeopardy!, would you want to come aboard? Like, move to the front office?’ That was nice, because I was kind of already missing the show.”
Ken Jennings Was Asked To Guest Host Before Alex Trebek Passed Away
Only one month later, Ken sat down with Vulture and revealed that he had actually been asked to guest host for Alex only days before he passed away. Ken recalled how he had been called in by the studio to rehearse some games but noticed that Alex’s voice was “notably weaker” than it had been in the past.
“I was scheduled to come into the studio to rehearse for some games,” Ken said at the time. “Even if Alex bounced back as he had before, he wanted somebody to fill in for him for a little while.”
‘I didn’t know that he would be gone within 36 hours’
“A producer set up a call, and his voice was notably weaker than we’d ever heard it on the air, which really struck me at first,” he continued. “It was a tough moment. But once you got over the timbre of the voice, he was still very much Alex.”
“The thing that stuck with me is he thanked me for coming in to fill in for him. That just broke me,” he added. “I said, ‘Alex, are you kidding? We should be thanking you. I’d take a bullet for you, Alex. I’m happy to help.’ Of course, I didn’t know that he would be gone within 36 hours.”
Alex Trebek’s Family Recalls How The Purple Stride Event Is ‘Bittersweet’
Last May, Jean Trebek and their children, Emily, Nicky, and Matthew attended the PanCAN annual fundraiser on what should have been the couple’s 32nd wedding anniversary. Alex revealed his stage IV diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in March 2019 and passed away on November 8, 2020.
“It’s a little bittersweet because this was the disease that took Alex’s human life,” Jean told PEOPLE at the time. “But, I also know what it pulled from him. His courage, his strength, and that was what Alex, I know, wants to be remembered for.”
Alex Trebek’s Family Works To Keep His Legacy Alive
His oldest daughter, Nicky, has raised more than $20,000 dollars for the charity to date. “I promised that I would be involved with PanCAN and try to make a difference and impact with them,” she told the publication. “I plan to do this every year. I plan to do a Team Nicky every year.”
“One of the other things I try to do to keep his legacy alive is I worked on Jeopardy!, so I’m close with the Jeopardy! family and the Sony family,” she added. The “Jeopardy!” stage has now been renamed “The Alex Trebek Stage” in his honor.
