Late 'Jeopardy!' Host Alex Trebek Honored With Pancreatic Cancer Research Foundation

Late "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek will be honored with a pancreatic cancer research foundation in his name.

Next week marks the third anniversary of the late game show host's death from pancreatic cancer, but his widow, Jean Trebek, current "Jeopardy!" co-host Ken Jennings, and the Stand Up To Cancer research foundation want to make sure that, although Alex may be gone, his legacy will never be forgotten.

On November 8, 2020, Alex Trebek passed away in his home in Los Angeles, California, of pancreatic cancer. He had been the host of “Jeopardy!” for 37 seasons, from its revival in 1984 until his death in 2020.

On Wednesday, Stand Up To Cancer and Jean Trebek announced the creation of the Alex Trebek fund, which will support expanding research into pancreatic cancer treatment and provide resources for current patients and their families. Jean Trebek and the estate of Barbara Hanania have already donated more than $1 million to the fund, which seeks to fight pancreatic cancer, which has the highest mortality rate of all major cancers.

"Alex knew that knowledge equaled power. He was a man that really loved to know things and stayed very curious," Jean Trebek said in a statement. "Since Alex was all about the right answer, I think it's very fitting that this fund is now established in his name. It's a way for the community that loved him to put resources directly into the hands of scientists working tirelessly to fight a disease shrouded by many unknowns."

In addition to the announcement of the fund, Stand Up To Cancer also created a video announcement featuring current host Ken Jennings as well as Jean Trebek and her daughter, Emily Trebek. In the video, Ken says, "Jeopardy was always big for me as a kid, so Alex was a big inspiration for me. He created this place, this space where it was safe to be a smart person," He went on to say, "He was so good at it, so graceful, so perfect for the role, that we all thought the job was easy. And it's not, hosting Jeopardy is incredibly hard."

Emily Trebek asked the "Jeopardy!" fund to contribute to the fund to eradicate the cancer that claimed her father's life. "I hope that all of the fans and community of Jeopardy really can lean in and show support for this," she said in the video. "I think they showed so much support for my dad when he was going through his cancer treatments. I hope that they stand up with this great organization."

As The Blast previously reported, in April 2023, Ken promoted the PanCAN Purple Stride Event in order to raise awareness for pancreatic research. 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.

In August 2023, the “Jeopardy! Greatest Of All Time” tournament winner spoke to the Last Podcast on the Left to describe his last conversation with Alex Trebek.

“I actually ended up talking to him what turned out to be the night before the day he passed away, about guest hosting for him,” Ken said on the podcast, admitting that they “didn’t know” how soon it would be until Alex passed away.

“We actually didn’t know. We thought, “Oh, he’s going to get better, he’s gonna bounce back, he’ll be hosting again.” I was just going to fill in,” Ken recalled. “You know, he gave me the impression he always did over the years, which was that he did not want to be the center of attention on Jeopardy!”

“He was never announced as the star of Jeopardy! – he was always the host of Jeopardy! because he thought the game itself and the contestants should be the star,” he added.