Alex Trebek passed away on November 8 at the age of 80, after a battle with pancreatic cancer in stage 4.
This is the first Christmas your family has spent without the beloved Jeopardy! host.
His widow Jean, who has been married to the TV star for 30 years, took to Instagram to reveal that she enjoyed the holiday with her two children, daughter Emily and son Matthew.
Sad loss: Alex Trebek died on November 8 at the age of 80, after a battle with pancreatic cancer in stage 4. This is the first Christmas his family has spent without the beloved Jeopardy! host; Alex and his wife Jean in 2019
Time with children: Jean, who was married to the TV star for 30 years, took to Instagram to reveal that she enjoyed the holiday with her two children, daughter Emily and son Matthew
In a stunning portrait, the two smiled while rugged, sunlit mountains could be seen in the background.
‘Time is too precious to be spent on anything other than kindness. Many blessings of beauty and joy for you and everything you love! ‘Jean wrote on Instagram.
After Alex’s death, his wife shared a loving message on Instagram.
‘My family and I sincerely thank everyone for their messages of compassion and generosity,’ she wrote in her caption. The photo showed the two during their nuptials. ‘Their expressions really touched our hearts. Thank you very much. Many blessings for everyone, Jean Trebek. ‘
Family first: Trebek with his family at the Emmy Awards in June 2011. Next to Trebek is his 30-year-old wife Jean, his daughter Emily, the daughter of his first wife, Nicky, and his son Matthew. Trebek was married to Elaine Callei from 1974 until divorce in 1981
Trebek was cremated and she keeps her ashes at her home in Studio City, California, according to The Blast.
Alex recorded an uplifting Thanksgiving message before his death, urging America to ‘keep the faith’, saying, ‘We will get through this.
‘At the top of our list of things we should be grateful for this year: Alex’s Thanksgiving message on today’s show. We hope you have a happy and safe Thanksgiving! ‘
Its last episode was recorded on October 29 and airs on Christmas Day.
Goodbye: Trebek recorded an uplifting Thanksgiving message before his death. In his special greeting, he urged America to ‘keep the faith’, saying: ‘Let’s get over it all’
In the pre-recorded video, Trebek shared a message of hope in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, saying: ‘Happy Thanksgiving, ladies and gentlemen. You know, despite what America and the rest of the world are experiencing now, there are many reasons to be thankful. ‘
“There are more and more people reaching out helpful hands to be kind to their neighbors, and that is a good thing,” he said.
‘Have faith. We will overcome all this and be a better society because of that, ‘he added, pointing at the camera.
Social media users were touched by the message, with a Twitter user saying, ‘Happy Thanksgiving to the wonderful Jeopardy team! Alex, we love you and miss you.
‘I needed that message from Alex today – it made me cry, but some of those tears were definitely happy to hear his voice again,’ added another Twitter user.
He worked until the end: in the days before his death, the dedicated host continued to film as many episodes as possible. Its last episode was recorded on October 29 and airs on Christmas Day
‘Happy Thanksgiving, Jeopardy! It is incredible that Alex recorded until the end. You’ll miss him, ‘tweeted a social media user.
Danger! producers said Trebek recorded 35 episodes weeks before his death.
After his passing, executive producer Mike Richards said on the Today Show that the question and answer program host died painlessly after spending a ‘beautiful final day’ with his family, as he always wanted.
‘He had a swing in his backyard that he loved. In fact, he rebuilt it earlier this year … Even in his book, he described that he wanted his last day to be sitting on his swing next to his wife Jean and looking at the horizon and he had to do it, ‘he said. executive producer Mike Richards to Today’s show.
The summer: Trebek photographed with his wife Jean on the right and his family celebrating his birthday on July 22, 2020
“He was consistent. He was not in pain and the fact that he had a great final day makes us all participate in Jeopardy! family feels so much better, ”added Richards.
Richards said Trebek was admirably dedicated to his work, recording episodes even in the midst of pain.
– He was even better than you expected. He was incredibly hardworking. He cared about this show. He was concerned with the importance of this show and that it made people want to be smarter. He made it cool to be smart, ”said Richards.
Richards recalled that Trebek did not like receiving praise and devoted all his energy to hosting the show before its final days.
His early years: Trebek depicted featuring the Canadian equivalent of American Bandstand, a show called Music Hop, in the 1960s
‘On what turned out to be our last day of recording, I knew he was in huge pain and when he was leaving, I saw him at the door and said,’ You know it was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. ‘He kind of had his head down, looked up and said thank you,’ said Richards.
Above all, said Richards, Trebek was a man dedicated to the family.
“I think the best thing about him was how much he loved his family. Of all the things he did and all his achievements, his greatest achievement for him was his family and the love of his life, ‘he added.
Trebek announced to the public in March 2019 that he had been diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer, but he continued to film the show.
He featured more than 8,200 episodes of Jeopardy! over 37 seasons.
Trebek was also close to the daughter of his first wife, Nicky. He married his first wife Elaine Callei in 1974 and they divorced in 1981.