“Danger!” is suffering another tragic loss after the death of dear host Alex Trebek.
Brayden Smith, a champion competitor during the final Trebek episodes he filmed before losing his battle with pancreatic cancer, died at age 24.
He died unexpectedly last Friday in his hometown, Las Vegas, Nevada.
“The ‘Jeopardy!’ family is heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brayden Smith, ”the show said in a statement. “He was kind, funny and absolutely brilliant. Our deepest condolences go out to the Brayden family. He will be missed. “
“We are heartbroken to share that our dear Brayden Smith recently passed away unexpectedly,” Smith’s mother Debbie wrote on Twitter. “We are very grateful that Brayden was able to live his dream on @jeopardy.”
The cause of death is unknown, TMZ reported.
Smith won five consecutive games and more than $ 115,000 during his week on the show, which was filmed in October.
According to his obituary, Smith “achieved a lifelong dream” when he competed in “Jeopardy!” and was hailed on social media as “Alex’s Last Great Champion”. Trebek nicknamed him “Billy Buzzsaw” during his run and said, “Most impressive, I don’t know what to say”, during his game.
“He was looking forward to competing in the show’s Tournament of Champions,” for which he had qualified, according to his obituary at the Dignity Memorial funeral home.
“[Trebek] I liked, I believe, Brayden, ”executive producer Mike Richards told EW. “I could say that he really liked that young man, and that was fun to watch. I think it energized him. “
“The best part for me was spending time with [Trebek]”Said Smith in an interview after his winning streak. “Asking questions and answers is almost accidental, I think, spending time with someone I’ve loved in my life for so long … I think about it all the time and really enjoy every moment I have with him. “
“Every moment since the last time I was in the studio was a moment that I wanted to go back to,” he said.
Smith graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in economics in 2020 and hoped to attend law school to become a lawyer for the federal government. He recently served as an intern for the Cato Institute in Washington, DC, helping to research criminal justice reform cases.
Prior to college, Smith attended Liberty High School in Henderson, Nevada, where he was a semifinalist for the National Merit Scholar. Your love for “Jeopardy!” was adopted as a young adult when he was the captain of his school’s Quiz Bowl team, finishing as runner-up state.
The “Jeopardy!” champ was not only a smart book, but also passionate about culture. His family noticed that he was an avid sports fan, loved all musical genres and was passionate about cinema, switching between Oscar winners and slapstick comedies with ease.
Smith left his parents Scott and Deborah (Rudy) Smith, and three brothers: Bryce, 26, from Reno, Nevada, Brock, 18, and Brody, 15, both from Las Vegas.
Smith’s memorial donations can be made to the Brayden Smith Memorial Fund.
Trebek, who has been running the program since 1984, died on November 8 at the age of 80.
