Alex Trebek's Wife Shares Update On How She's Coping With His Death
Television lost one of its most beloved and iconic personalities when Alex Trebek died in November 2020. The legendary game show host died after a long ordeal with pancreatic cancer, but, incredibly, he worked nearly non-stop until the end of his life.
As the face of a long-running and deeply loved game show, Trebek's loss was felt around the world by the show's millions of fans. In the months since his death, the show has been in a bit of a difficult situation in terms of how to proceed. After all, Trebek's shoes are some mighty big ones to fill. While they search for a more permanent replacement, producers have called on a slew of celebrities to step in and guest host, but reviews have been mixed.
Upon his death, the internet was flooded with tributes and kind words for the late host from celebrities, fans, and former "Jeopardy!" contestants. Now, nearly six months after his death, Trebek's wife, Jean, is speaking out about the late great game show host.
Here's what she had to say.
Alex Trebek's wife wants to keep his legacy alive
To honor her late husband, Alex Trebek, Jean Trebek will appear in NBC's "Inspiring America: The 2021 Inspiration List," a network special that delves into inspiring public figures. The special will air on May 1 and special attention will be paid to the late "Jeopardy!" host. In a clip shared by the network, Jean opened up about finding gratitude in the face of grief.
"I think one of the beautiful things, the blessings that came if you can call it a blessing, is that he got to really see the outpouring of love and admiration that he gave to the world," she said, speaking to Alex's long, drawn-out illness. "Some people just, you know, you don't see that while you're still embodied, you don't get to really witness all the love that people feel for you," she added. "And I know that that was in and of itself a huge inspiration for Alex."
While the loss must be felt most acutely by Jean, she has been working tirelessly to keep Alex's philanthropic legacy alive in the wake of his death. Jean has remained involved with the Valley Rescue Mission's Trebek Center, an organization that fights homelessness in Los Angeles.