Valley Philanthropist, TV Host Alex Trebek Dies at 80

Alex Trebek, the longtime “Jeopardy!” host and prominent Valley philanthropist, died Sunday at 80 years old.A cause of death was not given, but Trebek revealed in March 2019 that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He continued to shoot episodes of “Jeopardy!” as he publicly battled the disease.He lived in Studio City.Locally, Trebek and his family donated $600,000 over the last two years to homeless services nonprofit Hope of the Valleys in Pacoima. Those contributions helped fund the construction of Hope of the Valleys’ 85-bed shelter in North Hollywood, which features the Alex and Jean Trebek Multipurpose Room in recognition of their aid, as well as the establishment of a new headquarters facility called Hope Central, which aims to break ground next year.Hope of the Valleys Chief Executive Ken Craft said of Trebek: “He’s one of the kindest, most sincere, generous, thoughtful people I’ve ever met – and selfless.”Trebek became host of “Jeopardy!” in 1984 after hosting several game shows for Canadian Broadcast Corp., NBC, CBS and other networks. His appearance in more than 8,200 episodes of the series over 37 seasons is a record among television game show hosts. His work earned him seven Daytime Emmy Awards.Off camera, Trebek was known for his philanthropy.The beloved television personality was an ambassador for Christian humanitarian aid organization World Vision. He was an active supporter of the United Service Organizations, and participated in 13 USO tours entertaining troops stationed overseas.Trebek is survived by his wife Jean and his three children.