Alex Trebek and Pat Sajak are two of television’s most famous game show hosts, both having hosted their respective shows, Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, for nearly 40 years.
Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak mourned the death of fellow game show host Alex Trebek on Sunday, calling Trebek's death a 'tremendous loss.' Trebek hosted Jeopardy! For 36 years, and for most of that time, the show aired right alongside Wheel of Fortune. Jul 29, 2020 July 29 (UPI) -Sony Pictures Television told USA Today in a statement that Alex Trebek, 80, of Jeopardy!and Pat Sajak, 73, and Vanna White, 63, of Wheel of Fortune are returning to Los Angeles. The legendary “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek sadly passed away on Sunday at the age of 80 following a long battle with pancreatic cancer. In the wake of his passing, “Wheel Of Fortune” stars Pat Sajak and Vanna White have spoken out to pay tribute to him. The game shows “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel Of Fortune” have.
Sadly, Trebek died on Sunday, Nov. 8, following a nearly two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. And now, the Wheel of Fortune host has issued a statement about his colleague’s death.
Pat Sajak reacted to Alex Trebek’s death in a statement on Twitter
Jeopardy!‘s Twitter account announced Trebek’s death around 12:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, Nov. 8. The statement said the host died earlier that morning. He was 80 years old.
“Jeopardy! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends,” the tweet read. “Thank you, Alex.”
In an expanded statement on Jeopardy.com, the show confirmed that new episodes of Jeopardy! will air through Christmas 2020. There is no new information as of yet in regards to a replacement for Trebek on the show.
“Alex was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March 2019, and he continued to host Jeopardy! for the next 18 months,” the website’s statement read. “Throughout that time, Alex was open and public about his battle with cancer. Jeopardy! episodes hosted by Alex will air through December 25, 2020 (his last day in the studio was October 29). The show is not announcing plans for a new host at this time.”
As for Sajak, the 76-year-old posted a rare tweet commenting on Trebek’s passing.
“Alex Trebek’s courage, grace and strength inspired millions and awed those of us who knew him,” he tweeted. “A tremendous loss for his family, friends, co-workers and countless viewers. I was honored to be a friend and a part of his professional family for all these years. A very sad day.”
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Were Pat Sajak and Alex Trebek friends?
Sajak started hosting Wheel of Fortune in 1981, and Trebek started hosting Jeopardy! three years later in 1984.
While neither Sajak nor Trebek ever claimed to be the closest of friends, the two shared a positive working and personal friendship throughout their tenures as two of cable television’s longest-standing game show hosts.
Both of the hosts have won multiple Emmy Awards for their work. Trebek won the Emmy for Outstanding Game Show Host seven times throughout his career. Sajak won the same category three times. Both of the hosts received a Lifetime Achievement Emmy in 2011. No doubt, two people who had such similar and unique experiences and successes in their careers had a lot they could bond over.
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Past ‘Jeopardy!’ contestants react to Alex Trebek’s death
Of course, the Canadian-born Jeopardy! host bonded with countless people throughout his storied career, particularly the contestants on his show.
Pat Sajak Pancreatic Cancer
Ken Jennings—whose record-breaking run on the show has led to him now being a consulting producer for the series—also reacted to Trebek’s passing on Twitter.
“Alex wasn’t just the best ever at what he did,” he wrote. “He was also a lovely and deeply decent man, and I’m grateful for every minute I got to spend with him.”
Jennings echoed Sajak’s sentiment on the impact of Trebek’s career in a follow-up tweet that read, “Thinking today about his family and his Jeopardy! family—which, in a way, included millions of us.”
Trebek will surely be missed.
Two of the most highly successful game shows of all time on the air right now are Jeopardy!, hosted by Alex Trebek, and Wheel of Fortune, with Pat Sajak at the helm.
Both men have been at the front of their respective shows for nearly forty years, an astounding length of time.
So, are these contemporaries just industry colleagues, or good friends?
Both hosts had health issues in 2019
Sajak had emergency surgery for a blocked intestine in November 2019. The show issued a statement at that time via Twitter saying, “Our taping on Thursday was canceled because host Pat Sajak underwent successful emergency surgery to correct a blocked intestine. He is resting comfortably and looking forward to getting back to work.”
The 73-year-old Sajak returned to his post earlier this year.
A post shared by Jeopardy! (@jeopardy) on
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As for Alex Trebek, as is well known, the Jeopardy! host’s news of his pancreatic cancer diagnosis in March 2019 shocked and saddened his fans and viewers. As of March 2020, Trebek’s doctors were thrilled to mark his one-year survival. The Canadian-born Trebek issued a statement thanking fans for their steadfast support.
“You know my oncologist tried to cheer me up the other day,” Trebek said. “He said, ‘Alex, even though the two-year survival rate is only 7%,’ he was certain that one year from now, the two of us would be sitting in his office celebrating my second anniversary of survival.”
Both have been hosts of their respective shows for almost 4 decades
Both Alex Trebek and Pat Sajak have, incredibly, been hosts of their programs for nearly forty years. Trebek began his hosting duties in 1984, while Sajak became host of Wheel of Fortune a few years earlier in 1981.
Sajak talked to the Television Academy Foundation in a 2007 interview about the appeal of his game show, co-hosted by Vanna White, which millions of viewers have made part of their daily ritual.
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“We became in this strange way part of people’s lives, almost their life cycle,” Sajak said. “It was dinner time, they played ‘Wheel’ – we just became part of the atmosphere. It’s kind of like the sunset: you might not go out and watch it every night, but it’s nice to know it’s out there.”
Are Pat Sajak and Alex Trebek friends?
As friendly as the two game show hosts are, according to The Week in a 2013 conversation with Sajak, the men aren’t particularly close.
In the interview, the Chicago-born Sajak briefly opened up about whether he and fellow television personality Alex Trebek are close.
Alex Trebek And Pat Sajak Friends
In typical Sajak style, the Wheel host explained their relationship succinctly with a humorous twist.
“We get along fine,” Sajak said of the Jeopardy! icon, “but we’re not in the same bowling league.”
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Alex Trebek And Pat Sajak Switch Places
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