Alex Trebek’s wife, Jean, shared an emotional post on social media following his death on Sunday.
“My family and I sincerely thank you all for your compassionate messages and generosity. Your expressions have truly touched our hearts. Thank you so very, very much,” Jean Trebek wrote in a post on Instagram. It was accompanied with a picture from their wedding day.
“Many Blessings to all,” Jean ended her post.
Trebek, 80, who announced in 2019 that he had advanced pancreatic cancer, died Sunday at his Los Angeles home, surrounded by family and friends. He publicly battled the disease for nearly two years.
The Canadian-born “Jeopardy” host, who made a point of informing fans about his health directly, spoke in a calm, even tone as he revealed his illness and hope for a cure in a video posted March 6, 2019.
In the video, Trebek said he was joining the 50,000 other Americans who receive such a diagnosis each year and that he recognized that the prognosis was not encouraging.
But Trebek said he intended to fight it and keep working, even joking that he needed to beat the disease because his “Jeopardy!” contract ran for three more years. Less than a week later, he opened the show with a message acknowledging the outpouring of kind words and prayers he’d received.
“Thanks to the — believe it or not — hundreds of thousands of people who have sent in tweets, texts, emails, cards and letters wishing me well,” Trebek said. “I’m a lucky guy.”
Trebek began hosting “Jeopardy” in 1984.
In 1990, he married Jean Currivan, and they had two children, Emily and Matthew. He also had a stepdaughter, Nicky.
The program tapes weeks of shows in advance, and the remaining episodes with Trebek will air through Dec. 25, a Sony spokeswoman said.