Alex Trebek, the beloved host of the gameshow Jeopardy!, has died. He was 80. Trebek had been suffering from pancreatic cancer for some time. “Jeopardy! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends,” a spokesperson for the game show said in a statement, first reported by the entertainment website tmz.com and later posted on Twitter. “Thank you Alex,” it concluded. Trebek gained respect and a clutch of Emmy awards over several decades as the genial and knowledgeable host of the ABC show, which regularly pulled in millions of viewers. In January this year its Greatest of All Time edition, between three of its most successful contestants, Ken Jennings, James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter, attracted an audience over 15 million. Trebek confirmed his stage-four cancer diagnosis in March 2019, telling fans he would be “open and transparent” as treatment progressed and adding with trademark humour that he would have to beat the odds and survive – because his contract required he host Jeopardy! for three more years. He continued to host the show while receiving treatment including chemotherapy. In July this year he issued a statement clarifying reports that he was going to refuse future treatment if an immunotherapy regimen he was on was unsuccessful. “I want everyone to know that I am optimistic about my current plan and thank them for their concerns,” he wrote. Born in Canada in July 1940 as George Alexander Trebek, he hosted several US TV game shows such as The Wizard of Odds and High Rollers before taking up his role on Jeopardy! in 1984. Over 36 years, Trebek has hosted more than 8,000 episodes. The former Jeopardy! tournament of champions winner Buzzy Cohen was among the first to pay tribute to Trebek. “Absolutely heartbreaking to lose someone who meant so much to so many. Even if this show hadn’t changed my life in so many ways, this loss would be immeasurable,” Cohen tweeted. Holzhauer, whose Jeopardy! winnings total more than $2.7m, said Trebek was one of a kind. “It was one of the great privileges of my life to spend time with this courageous man while he fought the battle of his life. You will never be replaced in our hearts, Alex.” Jennings, the game’s most successful player whose 74-day winning streak in 2004 remains a record, said Trebek had become a close friend. “Alex wasn’t just the best ever at what he did. He was also a lovely and deeply decent man, and I’m grateful for every minute I got to spend with him,” he said on Twitter. “Thinking today about his family and his Jeopardy! family, which, in a way, included millions of us.” Jennings, who won more than $4.5m from the show and who was a consulting producer for its 37th season, has played down predictions he could become its next host. Brian Stelter, media correspondent for CNN, said Trebek was irreplaceable. “He was the greatest game show host of his generation. He made America smarter and he made America better. He was a comforting and reassuring presence in American homes,” he said. One of the show’s most moving moments came in an episode aired only last Thursday, when Burt Thakur, a contestant born in India, recounted the story of watching Jeopardy! while sitting in his grandfather’s lap. “Here’s a true story,” a tearful Thakur told Trebek after winning that day’s game, and $20,400. “I grew up, I learned English because of you. And so, my grandfather, who raised me, I’m gonna get tears right now, I used to sit on his lap and watch you every day. So it’s a pretty special moment for me, man.”