In a new commemorative edition, People celebrates the life and career of beloved Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 80. The photo-filled issue chronicles his rise from modest beginnings in Sudbury, Ontario, to the loving home he built with wife Jean, to his brave and public battle with pancreatic cancer. We look back at the many other game shows he graced—you would have to be a real trivia fanatic to know them all—and offer a revealing look behind the scenes at Jeopardy! in an exclusive book excerpt. Plus: A remembrance written by Jeopardy! champ and guest host, Ken Jennings.
Alex Trebek: Jeopardy!’s Beloved Host
The Alex Trebek That I Knew • FROM A FOURTH-GRADE FAN, TO A CHAMPION, TO A FRIEND: JEOPARDY!’S FIRST GUEST HOST SAYS THE STAR WAS, IN REAL LIFE, EXACTLY AS HE SEEMED ON THE SHOW—ONLY MORE SO
And Now Here’s Your Host…Alex Trebek • THE LEAP FROM PHILOSOPHY MAJOR TO BROADCASTER WAS SWIFT—AND LED TO AN UNPARALLELED CAREER AS THE MAN WITH ALL THE ANSWERS
In the Beginning • TREBEK MADE THE MOST OF A MODEST UPBRINGING, TRANSLATING THE LESSONS OF HIS DAD’S HOTEL KITCHEN INTO HIS FIRST BROADCASTING GIGS
Game for Anything • BEFORE (AND SOMETIMES DURING) HIS RECORD RUN ON JEOPARDY! TREBEK WAS AT THE HELM OF SHOWS FROM HIGH-STAKES QUIZZES TO GEOGRAPHIC BEES
Our Returning Champion • ALEX TREBEK STEPPED BEHIND JEOPARDY!’S LECTERN IN 1984, LAUNCHING A 37-YEAR RUN THAT MADE THE SHOW AND ITS HOST CULTURAL ICONS
Jeopardy! Round One • AFTER 1950S QUIZ SHOWS GOT IN TROUBLE FOR GIVING CONTESTANTS THE ANSWERS, MERV GRIFFIN CREATED A HIT WHERE THAT WAS THE WHOLE POINT
In a Category All His Own • IN 1987 PEOPLE CAUGHT UP WITH THE THEN-SINGLE TREBEK, WHOM JEOPARDY! HAD MADE A STAR—AND THE THINKING WOMAN’S SEX SYMBOL
Behind the Blue Wall of Answers • IN A NEW BOOK, ANSWERS IN THE FORM OF QUESTIONS, AUTHOR CLAIRE McNEAR UNCOVERS JEOPARDY!’S MYSTERIES—FROM THE HOST’S BACKSTAGE ROUTINE TO THE REASON ‘SPINELESS JELLYFISH’ SO OFTEN SHOWED UP ON THE GAME BOARD
Great Moments in Jeopardy! History • FROM BIG WINS TO A LOST MUSTACHE—ALEX TREBEK PRESIDED OVER AN EPIC ERA
Alex Trebek Plays Himself • JEOPARDY! AND ITS MUCH-LOVED HOST BECAME A FIXTURE ON TV AND IN FILM AS WELL AS A GOOD-NATURED TARGET FOR LOVING SEND-UPS
Away From The Lectern • WHEN HE WASN’T FILMING, TREBEK LOVED TRAVELING WITH FAMILY, SUPPORTING GOOD CAUSES AND ENJOYING HOBBIES. A FULL LIFE? WITHOUT QUESTION
Everlasting Love • TREBEK USED TO JOKE ON-AIR ABOUT BACHELOR LIFE—UNTIL HE MET WIFE JEAN. THE COUPLE SPOKE TO PEOPLE IN THE EARLY DAYS OF A 30-YEAR MARRIAGE
Giving His All • IN HIS OFF HOURS, TREBEK COULD BE FOUND AT THE RACETRACK, THE ICE RINK, THE ORCHESTRA PIT—OR IN SERVICE TO THOSE LESS FORTUNATE
A Life Well-Lived • INSIDE THE FINAL DAYS OF THE BELOVED JEOPARDY! HOST, A ROMANTIC AND AN OPTIMIST WHO BELIEVED KINDNESS SHOULD ALWAYS PREVAIL
Alex, Remembered • FAMOUS FANS, FRIENDS & JEOPARDY! ALUMNI SHARE LOVE FOR A TV LEGEND
CREDITS
People