15 ms·

Alex Trebek has died

911 points by slater 6y ago

URfejk 6y ago
A celebrity has died. No technology is discussed.
- miobrien 6y ago
  Are you a robot?
  - Tomte 6y ago
    He's trying to be funny mimicking the style of n-gate.com. Unfortunately, copy-cat humor is rarely funny.
    - deleted 6y ago
      [deleted]
chowells 6y ago
Goodbye, Mr. Trebek. You will be missed.
miobrien 6y ago
RIP Alex. Your show had a profound influence on me as a young adult.
ComputerGuru 6y ago
RIP, Alex. You were one of a kind and inspired millions. I am incredibly glad to have had the opportunity to meet you (and grateful to my wife for making it happen, as I would never have indulged myself). You played a huge role in making nerdy cool, in addition to bringing credibility back to trivia game shows. You were an incredibly kind, witty, and passionate role model. Your ability to be simultaneously no-nonsense yet fully human was was second to none. You will be missed greatly. (For Jeopardy! fans, I believe the show producers approached Jennings earlier this year and he expressed interest in taking over as host.) EDIT: Link to a placeholder NYT obit, which I'm sure will be updated shortly, courtesy of HN user scrollaway: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/08/arts/television/alex-trebek-dead.html https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/08/arts/television/alex-treb...
- Scoundreller 6y ago
  I was hoping Sean Connery would take over for a week, but a little late for that dream too.
  - artificial 6y ago
    One of the unfortunate aspects of growing older is witnessing the passing of people we know and care about. While I enjoy “skilling up” seeing my parents age, while natural, is a bummer.
    - thaumasiotes 6y ago
      > seeing my parents age, while natural, is a bummer. It's worse for other relatives. A bunch of people I remembered from when I was smaller came to my sister's wedding. And they were old. :/ With your parents, at least it doesn't happen all at once.
  - vmception 6y ago
    Just now, I’ve been watching all the 007 movies from the beginning Turns out I never saw them before, and I’ve been to all these “exotic” locations as the aspirations have been deeply woven into our society! Everything is so familiar because the tropes have been done so many times since, even video games have spent the last few decades trying to accurately simulate these same circumstances, looking at you, Uncharted! I got the biggest kick when he brought out a bottle of “Don Perignon, 1953”. I’m pretty sure HIRED sent me one of those from 2009 and my guests were very impressed and pleased when I used it.
- 535188B17C93743 6y ago
  Ken Jennings has already stated he's not interest––listen to his episode on the podcast "People I Mostly Admire".
  - T-hawk 6y ago
    This is correct, Jennings said (a while back but probably still true) that he doesn't want it. Short version: he doesn't want to uproot his family from Seattle to LA or have to commute between them. He also doesn't really want any more of a showbiz career than he already has.
runevault 6y ago
I watched so much Jeopardy as a kid. And always there was Trebek being witty but kind as he and the contestants entertained me all that time over all those years. Thanks for everything. Rest in Peace.
ng12 6y ago
He will be sorely, sorely missed. At the end of the day it's just TV but Jeopardy has been a part of my daily routine for the last twenty years, it certainly will feel strange without him.
happytoexplain 6y ago
Typo in title: His name is spelled Trebek
- echelon 6y ago
  Hey dang, can you fix this?
  - pronoiac 6y ago
    I emailed them.
  - dang 6y ago
    Fixed now. Sorry Alex.
voisin 6y ago
What is extremely sad news for $100? RIP.
- rocketpastsix 6y ago
  damn just $100? This would be a daily double.
tuccinator 6y ago
If you haven't read his autobiography, I highly suggest it. His life was awe inspiring and we've lost a great soul of the media industry. "The Answer Is... : Reflections on My Life"
geocrasher 6y ago
I'll take "Yet More 2020" for 1000, Alex. Alex? Oh no... :'(
melling 6y ago
When someone dies of pancreatic cancer, I always think of Randy Pausch discussions on HN. Randy was so inspiring and we’ve made no progress since his death from it in 2008. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=256623 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=256623 We’ve added close to $20 trillion in debt since then. Better treatments for a few cancers should have been included in there.
- selectodude 6y ago
  Pancreatic cancer (and other abdominal-area cancers like stomach, gallbladder, etc) are notoriously hard to find and diagnose because they're almost completely asymptomatic. Once we see the cancer, it's in a place where it's noticeable like the lungs at which point it's in later stage metastasis. Unfortunately there's not necessarily a cure that just needs more money. And enhanced screening has been a total dead end.
  - melling 6y ago
    Sounds like it’s an impossible problem. I remember people saying AIDS was impossible to treat. It took less than 10 years to find a treatment. I’m in the camp that believes we will eventually find a solution sooner or later. I was hoping for sooner.
    - selectodude 6y ago
      I'd like to hope that nothing is impossible but a cure for abdominal cancers is going to be one of the last cancers we figure out. They're basically perfect as far as being difficult to kill.
    - toomuchtodo 6y ago
      It takes about a year for pancreatic cancer to go from stage one to stage four. With improved biomarker detection in biannual blood tests, I think we’d make a lot of headway to earlier detection, with CRISPR for (more effective) immunotherapy treatment (vs surgery and chemo). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6813368/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6813368/
deleted 6y ago
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- deleted 6y ago
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chrisan 6y ago
> (For Jeopardy! fans, I believe the show producers approached Jennings earlier this year and he expressed interest in taking over as host.) Will Ken Jennings get past his tweet about people in wheelchairs? https://twitter.com/KenJennings/status/514125105426071553 https://twitter.com/KenJennings/status/514125105426071553
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- fatjokes 6y ago
  Not sure why you've been downvoted. I wasn't aware of that comment. A real surprise given his image as a dorky guy.
  - hombre_fatal 6y ago
    It's politically incorrect and not very tasteful, but they're acting like it's Jennings who has to "get past" that six year old tweet when it's actually people like that HNer who link it any time his name pops up hoping that others tar him for it. It makes we wonder how much this HNer is still dwelling on it. It's not the best joke but he's also not wrong btw. Let's not suggest that having shriveled up wheelchair legs is a boon in the dating market. It's just not nice to point out such inconvenient truths.
    - ianai 6y ago
      I agree that society would do well to consider learning forgiveness. Forgiveness though does require that the attack stop - repeating your agreement with some kernel of the post doesn’t help that effort as it reopens the wound. I really really wish society to learn forgiveness. Life is too short - and the internet can be so incredibly destructive in its current lack of grace.
      - rexpop 6y ago
        Shocking, to me, that you consider forgiveness a higher priority than accountability.
highfalut 6y ago
Not to downplay how sad it is, but he did seem as at peace as a person could be.
vmurthy 6y ago
"What is We <3 Trebek?" Thank you Mr Trebek. You played well. You fought well. For inspiring millions of young geeks, you are our champion tonight.
pseudolus 6y ago
A sad day. Jeopardy has always been a pretty unifying cultural touchstone in large part because of his hosting style. A brief bio can be found on him on Wikipedia [0]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Trebek https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Trebek
- bigmattystyles 6y ago
  With no evidence, I always assumed there was a clean cut between jeopardy fans and wheel fans. Not to get political but it also felt as though that separation was along the blue / red divide. Back in the day when I would watch jeopardy at 7, I always had this compulsion to change the channel before wheel started. Again no evidence, just a feeling. I don’t know why, Pat and Vanna seem like nice people, I just can’t stand wheel, maybe because I suck at wheel whereas I could hold my own when watching Jeopardy. RIP Alex.
  - reaperducer 6y ago
    I always assumed there was a clean cut between jeopardy fans and wheel fans. There isn't. The shows are sold as a package to the local stations, and the local stations very often sell the advertising for both shows as a package to local businesses because the viewership is similar. For people with the time to watch the whole two hours, it's an opportunity to show your message multiple times, which improves retention.
    - gabagool 6y ago
      The two are only one hour not two. Each show is 30 minutes (including commercial breaks).
  - disown 6y ago
    > I always assumed there was a clean cut between jeopardy fans and wheel fans. I'm sure there some purists as there are purists in anything. But purists are small portion of the overall audience. The overlap fanbase between the shows were easily the majority. It's why they put the shows on one after another. Like you mentioned one got the 7pm slot and the other got the 7:30 slot. Networks do that when there is substantial common fanbase. They don't want a significant portion of the viewing audience to switch channels at 7:30.
kthejoker2 6y ago
Probably my greatest honor was being called a "buzzsaw" by Alex! He liked to verbally spar, always quick with a joke, a flair for the dramatic - a perfect fit for a TV quiz show host. A small anecdote: We filmed college Jeopardy in Columbus, Ohio. After taping was over, all of us contestants were all hanging out in the hotel lobby waiting for our flights. Alex and the crew were doing some kind of local press thing in a nearby conference room. Out of nowhere, into the hotel lobby walks .. Jerry Springer. He kind of just meandered into the lobby where we sitting and sat down, by himself, with no apparent agenda? We being a bunch of not-too-shy college kids struck up a conversation and learned he was campaigning on behalf of some state Senator and they were going to use the same TV crew and setup that the Jeopardy! team was using to film some interviews. He was very nice, and then Alex and the crew came out during a break and we all got a couple of pictures of us, Alex, and Jerry Springer. A surreal meeting of two very different TV personalities! RIP Alex, the coolest of the nerds!
- reaperducer 6y ago
  Columbus, Ohio.. Out of nowhere, into the hotel lobby walks .. Jerry Springer IIRC, Springer was the mayor of Cincinnati for a bit. I seem to recall he also got busted passing a bad check to a hooker. I don't think hookers take checks anymore.
  - artificial 6y ago
    Hahaha, it only takes one to ruin it for everyone. Sounds like a smear?
  - fma 6y ago
    One of the scenes I remember in "Catch me if you can" is that DeCaprio passes a bad check to a hooker (former beauty contestant, too...) and she gives him cash in exchange of the difference. You'd think they woulda learned!
  - dehrmann 6y ago
    Jerry Springer trivia: he's one of three people born in the London Underground. To make it fair, Prime Minister of the UK Boris Johnson was born in NYC.
krustyburger 6y ago
I had started to believe he was somehow going to beat the odds that he and all of us knew were essentially insurmountable. The fact that he continued working nearly until the end shows how much he truly loved his job. He will be sorely missed.
chongli 6y ago
Some of my earliest memories were of watching Jeopardy with my dad when I was a kid. Alex and all the hard working staff on the show helped to inculcate in me, at a very young age, a deep desire and passion to always learn about and explore the world around me. Though it’s called “trivia” there’s really nothing trivial about it. People who have no interest in these facts often express deep ignorance of the world and people from other cultures and places. I think people would come closer together and learn to reconcile our differences if we all took more of an interest in trivia. Alex, you brought so much professionalism, dignity, and gravitas to the game show business. Your strength of voice and sincerity, together with the show’s simple format, elevated the game above the usual sensationalism and addictive patterns we see in other formats. Your tireless and selfless commitment to charity has made a difference to so many people around the world. Thank you and Rest In Peace.
- TravHatesMe 6y ago
  > People who have no interest in these facts often express deep ignorance of the world and people from other cultures and places. I think this is an unfair statement. Certainly there are facts that are not interesting to a large majority, doesn't mean that they are ignorant. Personally my brain does not work well with remembering specific facts, I always admire people who can recall so easily. Anyway I do not want to take away from the thread, just a bit surprised at that sweeping statement, unless I misinterpreted it.
  - chongli 6y ago
    I qualified it with the word "often." Perhaps I should have said "sometimes." At any rate, I am only speaking from experience based on the people I've met. I have personally been ridiculed for expressing an interest in trivia facts, on more than one occasion.
    - Satam 6y ago
      Either you're hanging out with complete assholes, or you're presenting yourself in a pretentious way.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
deleted 6y ago
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tomrod 6y ago
RIP dear Alex. Thanks for your work, your career touched many lives.
doc_gunthrop 6y ago
We've lost a national treasure (yes, he is Canadian-American). RIP, Mr. Trebek.
blinkingled 6y ago
I have been watching Jeopardy! on Netflix and having known about Alex's health always felt that whenever it happens it will make me sad - I am sad but more than I imagined I would be. There was something about him that made me feel everything was alright. What a legend. RIP Alex. [Also can we fix the last name typo in the title please - it's Alex Trebek not Trebeck.]
gist 6y ago
Has anyone calculated the ratio of simple questions that anyone can answer on a game show vs. the more difficult ones? Obviously there is a formula to keep people engaged by having low hanging fruit that everyone knows 'that's easy'. This would be an interesting topic for a paper or article.
- croissants 6y ago
  There are some game shows where (IMO) every question is hard, like Only Connect [1]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Only_Connect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Only_Connect
  - myrandomcomment 6y ago
    Only Connect is hard. There and such random things that you have to put together from the normal educated things like a list of monarchs to crazy random things that are complete pop culture or it's a list of colors in the rainbow in binary. If you live in the UK watch it. If you do not you can generally find torrents of it (hint to BBC, if you sold TV licenses for streaming outside of the UK you would make more then you do in the UK).
    - croissants 6y ago
      Not sure how available it is to other countries, but there's a YouTube user "wheelsongenius" who has uploaded a ton of episodes, including the new season.
      - myrandomcomment 6y ago
        Thanks for the YouTube information! Everyone here should watch. It is the type of show that in general this crowd will enjoy. The host, Victoria Mitchell is wonderfully funny and quirky charming and also a poker player you may have seen. Her husband is the comedian David Mitchell.
always_left 6y ago
When I was little (maybe middle school), I remember being frustrated at not knowing any of the answers to the show. Inspired by jeopardy, I joined quiz bowl (think jeopardy but for teams), and it really let me explore many different topics through my own curiosity. I still get most questions wrong when I watch the show but I can really embrace how learning in itself is a gift, even if you don’t win :)
rococode 6y ago
I'm glad that he seems to have found peace as he neared the end. Here's an excerpt from the autobiography/memoir he published in July this year ("The Answer is... Reflections on My Life") that I thought was touching: With the coronavirus, [our family] can't go out to eat, we can't go out to public places, even the park next door has limited its use. Here I am wanting to enjoy what might be the last of my days, and, what, I'm supposed to just stay at home and sit in a chair and stare into space? Actually, that doesn't sound too bad. Except instead of a chair, I'll sit on the swing out in the yard. That's my favorite spot on the whole property. I used to do it with Mom. Just sit there and rock. No need to talk. It's just very peaceful. I suppose the feeling I have sitting on that porch swing is similar to what people feel when they meditate, though I would never call it meditating. I just consider it goofing off, not doing anything. Yep, I'll be perfectly content if that's how my story ends: sitting on the swing with the woman I love, my soul mate, and our two wonderful children nearby. I'll sit there for a while and then maybe the four of us will go for a walk, each day trying to walk a little farther than the last. We'll take things one step at a time, one day at a time. In fact, I think I'll go sit in the swing for a bit right now. The weather is beautiful — the sun is shining into a mild, mild looking sky, and there's not a cloud in sight. (copied from https://www.nextavenue.org/alex-trebek-in-his-own-words https://www.nextavenue.org/alex-trebek-in-his-own-words which has a couple more excerpts from the memoir)
- rajandatta 6y ago
  Thank you for sharing this excerpt. RIP Alex. Thank you for all the joy you gave so people thru your work on Jeopardy and your pre-Jeopardy work.
- chrisblackwell 6y ago
  Thank you so much for sharing this. I think this is the exact advice that everyone needs right now. The young and the old.
- tuna-piano 6y ago
  Thanks for posting. My takeaway thought: No matter how rich, how successful or how famous - most of us get the most satisfaction from the simple things in life. Never take even those simple things for granted, they will be the memories you may most cherish.
someonehere 6y ago
As straight edge as he seemed, I recommend tracking down the Howard Stern interview he did several years ago. One of the highlights was he tried cocaine at a party via someone who worked for him (accountant maybe) and Alex said he didn’t like it. He also mentioned ingesting a large quantity of cannabis edibles not knowing you weren’t supposed to. He said he slept all weekend and didn’t realize how long he was out. Pretty interesting given I always thought he was a straight edge.
gao8a 6y ago
RIP Alex This is still one of my favourite moments https://youtu.be/OpKOm-LLRhA https://youtu.be/OpKOm-LLRhA
throwaway5752 6y ago
Thank you, Alex Trebek, for giving us a kind, polite, and dignified show that elevated education and knowledge. You were the perfect host for it and inspired millions of young adults, including myself (a long time ago). Deepest condolences to his family and friends.
purpleidea 6y ago
Damn. What a great loss. One of the best Canadians. I'm still hoping someone will release an archive of every single game. A torrent will do if the studio won't release it.
- disown 6y ago
  I think when he gained his US citizenship became an american. Besides he lived most of his life in the US, marriedan american, had american children, chose to die in america and his best work is in america as an american. Not sure on the canada-us naturalization laws. But I distinctly remember he became a US citizen some time ago. Regardless of his nationality, truly a great loss. One of the iconic figures of american television.
  - wenc 6y ago
    So, when a Canadian adopts U.S. citizenship, they don't automatically cease to be Canadian unless they choose to renounce their citizenship. Dual citizenship is recognized. According to Wikipedia, Alex moved to the U.S. in 1973 at the age of 33, became a U.S. citizen in 1998 at the age of 58. Trebek is very much regarded as a Canadian, even in Canada. (RIP) One of the favorite pastimes Canadians have is that of pointing out Canadians whom people think are Americans. Peter Jennings (also RIP) and Alex Trebek are usually the first two that come to mind. Then there's Ryan Reynolds, Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, Joni Mitchell, etc. Recently I learned that HN's dang and sctb are Canadians too [1]... [1] https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-silicon-valley/the-lonely-work-of-moderating-hacker-news https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-silicon-valley/th...
    - kortilla 6y ago
      > whom people think are Americans. But he is an American. Dual citizenship doesn’t mean he isn’t American.
      - wenc 6y ago
        Correct. I should qualify that by saying are "just Americans".
haram_masala 6y ago
Alex Trebek was a favorite victim of Longmont Potion Castle. But what always stood out about those calls was Trebek’s kindness, his common sense, and his amazing refusal to lose his temper amidst the tsunami of diabolical absurdity that is an LPC call. Trebek was one of the very, very few call recipients who “won” at Longmont Potion Castle.
- 8bitsrule 6y ago
  Needed to look that one up: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longmont_Potion_Castle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longmont_Potion_Castle
whalesalad 6y ago
This one hits hard. He was such a genuinely kind person. RIP.
somberi 6y ago
As someone who moved to US 25 years ago - when neither internet was not ubiquitous nor Cable TV affordable, for this then young man, Jeopardy and Mr. Trebek offered a peek into Americanah that extends even today. I have lived in a dozen countries since, and every time I stream Jeopardy from wherever, mind latches to the comfort of a sparse apartment, shared with 2 other roommates, all equally enthused by figuring out what this large, lovely country was all about, through the questions from the show. I, after a couple of attempts ended up being "screened" for the the show, and failed - Baseball and Civil War were the topics. I still do bad in these topics. Still much to learn, but thanks to Mr.Trebek, America offers a fleeting familiarity. If anyone wants to witness the two sides of American popular culture, spend an hour between 7-8pm on ABC - For the first half you will see Jeopardy, and then a cheerful but vapid (by design) Wheel of Fortune. I was telling my wife, two days ago, that CNN political host John King will be a good stand-in for Mr.Trebek and today I heard this news. I will miss Mr.Trebek in a way that will last my lifetime.
blacksqr 6y ago
Trebek and the Jeopardy crew used to tour military bases around the world to greet the troops and give the qualifying exam in search of potential contestants. I got to meet him as a goofy young officer fanboy at Yokota Air Base in Japan in the late 1980's. I asked to get a photo with him, and of course he was perfectly gracious. Still have it somewhere.
sandworm101 6y ago
Almost 20 years ago I had a brief conversation with Mr Trebek. Hew was working on the Canadian "Reach for the Top" trivia competition. He was half-way through giving me some "advice" when he stopped himself: "Sorry, I now realize you probably know how to do your job and I'll stop talking." Even when not happy, when other celebs could easily get hot headed, he remained a consummate professional. I never heard a bad thing said about the guy.
xbar 6y ago
Rest in peace, Alex Trebek.
owenversteeg 6y ago
Wow. Rest in peace, Mr. Trebek. I can thank Alex Trebek for inspiring the first ever computer program I made and actually distributed - a terrible "Jeopardy" game. Made it myself in Java (that I learned entirely from a paper book), then tried to "convert" the resulting JAR to an EXE using some weird converter, then burned the somewhat mangled result onto a bunch of DVD-Rs and gave them out. One of the most difficult parts of the "programming" process was copying and pasting the same few lines around the whole program, because I didn't yet fully understand scope and variables, hah.
- closeparen 6y ago
  My childhood Jeopardy “programming” experience was hyperlinks in PowerPoint.
snegu 6y ago
I got the chance to see him in action from being on the show, and he was probably the most impressive "people person" I've ever met. Just perfectly at ease telling stories and interacting with strangers, and he sets everybody else at ease also. I don't know how a person ends up like that, whether its a matter of innate talent, training, or a mix of the two, but I've never seen anything like it.
gigatexal 6y ago
I’m sad. I used to watch Jeopardy! with my family almost every night.
dharmon 6y ago
I went to a taping about 4 years ago (so Trebek was 76ish). For those who've never been, the show is basically filmed in real-time, and the first thing they do during the commercial breaks is Alex re-records any cards that he might have flubbed so they can punch it in later during editing. They film 5 episodes in a day, and maybe he had to re-record 1 or 2 per episode? I remember thinking that was incredible, and I still do. Even some of the things they re-recorded I wasn't sure why (possibly he mis-pronounced a foreign word I wasn't familiar with). I guess taking 2 of my favorite musicians wasn't enough, 2020 had to come for the host of my favorite game show.
- cortesoft 6y ago
  Yeah, I went to a college jeopardy taping, and the thing I was most shocked by was how fast it all went by. It seemed a lot faster in real life than on TV.
- 3131s 6y ago
  > I guess taking 2 of my favorite musicians wasn't enough Rappers are getting murdered all the time lately, assuming that's what you're referring too. It's really gotten to me this year too, especially the situation in Chicago. I'm guessing most people on HN don't know that a very popular musician was killed just two days ago.
  - ekam 6y ago
    King von?
HNthrow22 6y ago
RIP. I'd love to know why is this allowed but Kobe threads were all removed?
- goldenchrome 6y ago
  This is a forum for nerds, and nerds get bullied by jocks.
anonu 6y ago
I love Jeopardy and Trebek was fantastic. He was a calm, composed, reassuring voice in a sea of chaos. I just can't fathom doing something you love so much until your very last breath. Trebek epitomized this - day after day - entertaining millions. A great man that will be sorely missed.
Magi604 6y ago
When I was young me and my family would gather around the TV to watch Jeopardy every night. We would pretend to be contestants and try to give the questions before the contestants on TV could. It's definitely one of my fonder childhood memories. Rip Alex. Thanks for the good family times.
Fezzik 6y ago
Mr. Trebek brought generations together, at least mine. Jeopardy! and The Sound of Music are the two things my grandparents (b. 1920 and 1921, now deceased) and I (b. 1981) could always watch together and enjoy. Even when I was a 17 y/o delinquent shit I could always watch Trebek with grandma, and it just felt good. As others have mentioned - the passing if Mr.s. Trebek and Connery is the end of generation-spanning eras. I’m having a few too many drinks tonight as my own way of remembering them.
- mgkimsal 6y ago
  who are some other 'generation-spanning' personalities/stars we have today?
beenBoutIT 6y ago
The saddest part of this is facing the harsh reality that Jeopardy cannot exist without Alex Trebek. The only hope for future episodes is an AI reproduction of Alex Trebek that's been well trained on his past shows.

911 points by slater 6y ago

URfejk 6y ago

A celebrity has died. No technology is discussed.

miobrien 6y ago
Are you a robot?
- Tomte 6y ago
  He's trying to be funny mimicking the style of n-gate.com. Unfortunately, copy-cat humor is rarely funny.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]

chowells 6y ago

Goodbye, Mr. Trebek. You will be missed.

miobrien 6y ago

RIP Alex. Your show had a profound influence on me as a young adult.

ComputerGuru 6y ago

RIP, Alex. You were one of a kind and inspired millions. I am incredibly glad to have had the opportunity to meet you (and grateful to my wife for making it happen, as I would never have indulged myself). You played a huge role in making nerdy cool, in addition to bringing credibility back to trivia game shows. You were an incredibly kind, witty, and passionate role model. Your ability to be simultaneously no-nonsense yet fully human was was second to none. You will be missed greatly. (For Jeopardy! fans, I believe the show producers approached Jennings earlier this year and he expressed interest in taking over as host.) EDIT: Link to a placeholder NYT obit, which I'm sure will be updated shortly, courtesy of HN user scrollaway: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/08/arts/television/alex-trebek-dead.html https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/08/arts/television/alex-treb...

Scoundreller 6y ago
I was hoping Sean Connery would take over for a week, but a little late for that dream too.
- artificial 6y ago
  One of the unfortunate aspects of growing older is witnessing the passing of people we know and care about. While I enjoy “skilling up” seeing my parents age, while natural, is a bummer.
  - thaumasiotes 6y ago
    > seeing my parents age, while natural, is a bummer. It's worse for other relatives. A bunch of people I remembered from when I was smaller came to my sister's wedding. And they were old. :/ With your parents, at least it doesn't happen all at once.
- vmception 6y ago
  Just now, I’ve been watching all the 007 movies from the beginning Turns out I never saw them before, and I’ve been to all these “exotic” locations as the aspirations have been deeply woven into our society! Everything is so familiar because the tropes have been done so many times since, even video games have spent the last few decades trying to accurately simulate these same circumstances, looking at you, Uncharted! I got the biggest kick when he brought out a bottle of “Don Perignon, 1953”. I’m pretty sure HIRED sent me one of those from 2009 and my guests were very impressed and pleased when I used it.
535188B17C93743 6y ago
Ken Jennings has already stated he's not interest––listen to his episode on the podcast "People I Mostly Admire".
- T-hawk 6y ago
  This is correct, Jennings said (a while back but probably still true) that he doesn't want it. Short version: he doesn't want to uproot his family from Seattle to LA or have to commute between them. He also doesn't really want any more of a showbiz career than he already has.

runevault 6y ago

I watched so much Jeopardy as a kid. And always there was Trebek being witty but kind as he and the contestants entertained me all that time over all those years. Thanks for everything. Rest in Peace.

ng12 6y ago

He will be sorely, sorely missed. At the end of the day it's just TV but Jeopardy has been a part of my daily routine for the last twenty years, it certainly will feel strange without him.

happytoexplain 6y ago

Typo in title: His name is spelled Trebek

echelon 6y ago
Hey dang, can you fix this?
- pronoiac 6y ago
  I emailed them.
- dang 6y ago
  Fixed now. Sorry Alex.

voisin 6y ago

What is extremely sad news for $100? RIP.

rocketpastsix 6y ago
damn just $100? This would be a daily double.

tuccinator 6y ago

If you haven't read his autobiography, I highly suggest it. His life was awe inspiring and we've lost a great soul of the media industry. "The Answer Is... : Reflections on My Life"

geocrasher 6y ago

I'll take "Yet More 2020" for 1000, Alex. Alex? Oh no... :'(

melling 6y ago

When someone dies of pancreatic cancer, I always think of Randy Pausch discussions on HN. Randy was so inspiring and we’ve made no progress since his death from it in 2008. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=256623 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=256623 We’ve added close to $20 trillion in debt since then. Better treatments for a few cancers should have been included in there.

selectodude 6y ago
Pancreatic cancer (and other abdominal-area cancers like stomach, gallbladder, etc) are notoriously hard to find and diagnose because they're almost completely asymptomatic. Once we see the cancer, it's in a place where it's noticeable like the lungs at which point it's in later stage metastasis. Unfortunately there's not necessarily a cure that just needs more money. And enhanced screening has been a total dead end.
- melling 6y ago
  Sounds like it’s an impossible problem. I remember people saying AIDS was impossible to treat. It took less than 10 years to find a treatment. I’m in the camp that believes we will eventually find a solution sooner or later. I was hoping for sooner.
  - selectodude 6y ago
    I'd like to hope that nothing is impossible but a cure for abdominal cancers is going to be one of the last cancers we figure out. They're basically perfect as far as being difficult to kill.
  - toomuchtodo 6y ago
    It takes about a year for pancreatic cancer to go from stage one to stage four. With improved biomarker detection in biannual blood tests, I think we’d make a lot of headway to earlier detection, with CRISPR for (more effective) immunotherapy treatment (vs surgery and chemo). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6813368/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6813368/

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chrisan 6y ago

> (For Jeopardy! fans, I believe the show producers approached Jennings earlier this year and he expressed interest in taking over as host.) Will Ken Jennings get past his tweet about people in wheelchairs? https://twitter.com/KenJennings/status/514125105426071553 https://twitter.com/KenJennings/status/514125105426071553

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fatjokes 6y ago
Not sure why you've been downvoted. I wasn't aware of that comment. A real surprise given his image as a dorky guy.
- hombre_fatal 6y ago
  It's politically incorrect and not very tasteful, but they're acting like it's Jennings who has to "get past" that six year old tweet when it's actually people like that HNer who link it any time his name pops up hoping that others tar him for it. It makes we wonder how much this HNer is still dwelling on it. It's not the best joke but he's also not wrong btw. Let's not suggest that having shriveled up wheelchair legs is a boon in the dating market. It's just not nice to point out such inconvenient truths.
  - ianai 6y ago
    I agree that society would do well to consider learning forgiveness. Forgiveness though does require that the attack stop - repeating your agreement with some kernel of the post doesn’t help that effort as it reopens the wound. I really really wish society to learn forgiveness. Life is too short - and the internet can be so incredibly destructive in its current lack of grace.
    - rexpop 6y ago
      Shocking, to me, that you consider forgiveness a higher priority than accountability.

highfalut 6y ago

Not to downplay how sad it is, but he did seem as at peace as a person could be.

vmurthy 6y ago

"What is We <3 Trebek?" Thank you Mr Trebek. You played well. You fought well. For inspiring millions of young geeks, you are our champion tonight.

pseudolus 6y ago

A sad day. Jeopardy has always been a pretty unifying cultural touchstone in large part because of his hosting style. A brief bio can be found on him on Wikipedia [0]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Trebek https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Trebek

bigmattystyles 6y ago
With no evidence, I always assumed there was a clean cut between jeopardy fans and wheel fans. Not to get political but it also felt as though that separation was along the blue / red divide. Back in the day when I would watch jeopardy at 7, I always had this compulsion to change the channel before wheel started. Again no evidence, just a feeling. I don’t know why, Pat and Vanna seem like nice people, I just can’t stand wheel, maybe because I suck at wheel whereas I could hold my own when watching Jeopardy. RIP Alex.
- reaperducer 6y ago
  I always assumed there was a clean cut between jeopardy fans and wheel fans. There isn't. The shows are sold as a package to the local stations, and the local stations very often sell the advertising for both shows as a package to local businesses because the viewership is similar. For people with the time to watch the whole two hours, it's an opportunity to show your message multiple times, which improves retention.
  - gabagool 6y ago
    The two are only one hour not two. Each show is 30 minutes (including commercial breaks).
- disown 6y ago
  > I always assumed there was a clean cut between jeopardy fans and wheel fans. I'm sure there some purists as there are purists in anything. But purists are small portion of the overall audience. The overlap fanbase between the shows were easily the majority. It's why they put the shows on one after another. Like you mentioned one got the 7pm slot and the other got the 7:30 slot. Networks do that when there is substantial common fanbase. They don't want a significant portion of the viewing audience to switch channels at 7:30.

kthejoker2 6y ago

Probably my greatest honor was being called a "buzzsaw" by Alex! He liked to verbally spar, always quick with a joke, a flair for the dramatic - a perfect fit for a TV quiz show host. A small anecdote: We filmed college Jeopardy in Columbus, Ohio. After taping was over, all of us contestants were all hanging out in the hotel lobby waiting for our flights. Alex and the crew were doing some kind of local press thing in a nearby conference room. Out of nowhere, into the hotel lobby walks .. Jerry Springer. He kind of just meandered into the lobby where we sitting and sat down, by himself, with no apparent agenda? We being a bunch of not-too-shy college kids struck up a conversation and learned he was campaigning on behalf of some state Senator and they were going to use the same TV crew and setup that the Jeopardy! team was using to film some interviews. He was very nice, and then Alex and the crew came out during a break and we all got a couple of pictures of us, Alex, and Jerry Springer. A surreal meeting of two very different TV personalities! RIP Alex, the coolest of the nerds!

reaperducer 6y ago
Columbus, Ohio.. Out of nowhere, into the hotel lobby walks .. Jerry Springer IIRC, Springer was the mayor of Cincinnati for a bit. I seem to recall he also got busted passing a bad check to a hooker. I don't think hookers take checks anymore.
- artificial 6y ago
  Hahaha, it only takes one to ruin it for everyone. Sounds like a smear?
- fma 6y ago
  One of the scenes I remember in "Catch me if you can" is that DeCaprio passes a bad check to a hooker (former beauty contestant, too...) and she gives him cash in exchange of the difference. You'd think they woulda learned!
- dehrmann 6y ago
  Jerry Springer trivia: he's one of three people born in the London Underground. To make it fair, Prime Minister of the UK Boris Johnson was born in NYC.

krustyburger 6y ago

I had started to believe he was somehow going to beat the odds that he and all of us knew were essentially insurmountable. The fact that he continued working nearly until the end shows how much he truly loved his job. He will be sorely missed.

chongli 6y ago

Some of my earliest memories were of watching Jeopardy with my dad when I was a kid. Alex and all the hard working staff on the show helped to inculcate in me, at a very young age, a deep desire and passion to always learn about and explore the world around me. Though it’s called “trivia” there’s really nothing trivial about it. People who have no interest in these facts often express deep ignorance of the world and people from other cultures and places. I think people would come closer together and learn to reconcile our differences if we all took more of an interest in trivia. Alex, you brought so much professionalism, dignity, and gravitas to the game show business. Your strength of voice and sincerity, together with the show’s simple format, elevated the game above the usual sensationalism and addictive patterns we see in other formats. Your tireless and selfless commitment to charity has made a difference to so many people around the world. Thank you and Rest In Peace.

TravHatesMe 6y ago
> People who have no interest in these facts often express deep ignorance of the world and people from other cultures and places. I think this is an unfair statement. Certainly there are facts that are not interesting to a large majority, doesn't mean that they are ignorant. Personally my brain does not work well with remembering specific facts, I always admire people who can recall so easily. Anyway I do not want to take away from the thread, just a bit surprised at that sweeping statement, unless I misinterpreted it.
- chongli 6y ago
  I qualified it with the word "often." Perhaps I should have said "sometimes." At any rate, I am only speaking from experience based on the people I've met. I have personally been ridiculed for expressing an interest in trivia facts, on more than one occasion.
  - Satam 6y ago
    Either you're hanging out with complete assholes, or you're presenting yourself in a pretentious way.

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tomrod 6y ago

RIP dear Alex. Thanks for your work, your career touched many lives.

doc_gunthrop 6y ago

We've lost a national treasure (yes, he is Canadian-American). RIP, Mr. Trebek.

blinkingled 6y ago

I have been watching Jeopardy! on Netflix and having known about Alex's health always felt that whenever it happens it will make me sad - I am sad but more than I imagined I would be. There was something about him that made me feel everything was alright. What a legend. RIP Alex. [Also can we fix the last name typo in the title please - it's Alex Trebek not Trebeck.]

gist 6y ago

Has anyone calculated the ratio of simple questions that anyone can answer on a game show vs. the more difficult ones? Obviously there is a formula to keep people engaged by having low hanging fruit that everyone knows 'that's easy'. This would be an interesting topic for a paper or article.

croissants 6y ago
There are some game shows where (IMO) every question is hard, like Only Connect [1]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Only_Connect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Only_Connect
- myrandomcomment 6y ago
  Only Connect is hard. There and such random things that you have to put together from the normal educated things like a list of monarchs to crazy random things that are complete pop culture or it's a list of colors in the rainbow in binary. If you live in the UK watch it. If you do not you can generally find torrents of it (hint to BBC, if you sold TV licenses for streaming outside of the UK you would make more then you do in the UK).
  - croissants 6y ago
    Not sure how available it is to other countries, but there's a YouTube user "wheelsongenius" who has uploaded a ton of episodes, including the new season.
    - myrandomcomment 6y ago
      Thanks for the YouTube information! Everyone here should watch. It is the type of show that in general this crowd will enjoy. The host, Victoria Mitchell is wonderfully funny and quirky charming and also a poker player you may have seen. Her husband is the comedian David Mitchell.

always_left 6y ago

When I was little (maybe middle school), I remember being frustrated at not knowing any of the answers to the show. Inspired by jeopardy, I joined quiz bowl (think jeopardy but for teams), and it really let me explore many different topics through my own curiosity. I still get most questions wrong when I watch the show but I can really embrace how learning in itself is a gift, even if you don’t win :)

rococode 6y ago

I'm glad that he seems to have found peace as he neared the end. Here's an excerpt from the autobiography/memoir he published in July this year ("The Answer is... Reflections on My Life") that I thought was touching: With the coronavirus, [our family] can't go out to eat, we can't go out to public places, even the park next door has limited its use. Here I am wanting to enjoy what might be the last of my days, and, what, I'm supposed to just stay at home and sit in a chair and stare into space? Actually, that doesn't sound too bad. Except instead of a chair, I'll sit on the swing out in the yard. That's my favorite spot on the whole property. I used to do it with Mom. Just sit there and rock. No need to talk. It's just very peaceful. I suppose the feeling I have sitting on that porch swing is similar to what people feel when they meditate, though I would never call it meditating. I just consider it goofing off, not doing anything. Yep, I'll be perfectly content if that's how my story ends: sitting on the swing with the woman I love, my soul mate, and our two wonderful children nearby. I'll sit there for a while and then maybe the four of us will go for a walk, each day trying to walk a little farther than the last. We'll take things one step at a time, one day at a time. In fact, I think I'll go sit in the swing for a bit right now. The weather is beautiful — the sun is shining into a mild, mild looking sky, and there's not a cloud in sight. (copied from https://www.nextavenue.org/alex-trebek-in-his-own-words https://www.nextavenue.org/alex-trebek-in-his-own-words which has a couple more excerpts from the memoir)

rajandatta 6y ago
Thank you for sharing this excerpt. RIP Alex. Thank you for all the joy you gave so people thru your work on Jeopardy and your pre-Jeopardy work.
chrisblackwell 6y ago
Thank you so much for sharing this. I think this is the exact advice that everyone needs right now. The young and the old.
tuna-piano 6y ago
Thanks for posting. My takeaway thought: No matter how rich, how successful or how famous - most of us get the most satisfaction from the simple things in life. Never take even those simple things for granted, they will be the memories you may most cherish.

someonehere 6y ago

As straight edge as he seemed, I recommend tracking down the Howard Stern interview he did several years ago. One of the highlights was he tried cocaine at a party via someone who worked for him (accountant maybe) and Alex said he didn’t like it. He also mentioned ingesting a large quantity of cannabis edibles not knowing you weren’t supposed to. He said he slept all weekend and didn’t realize how long he was out. Pretty interesting given I always thought he was a straight edge.

gao8a 6y ago

RIP Alex This is still one of my favourite moments https://youtu.be/OpKOm-LLRhA https://youtu.be/OpKOm-LLRhA

throwaway5752 6y ago

Thank you, Alex Trebek, for giving us a kind, polite, and dignified show that elevated education and knowledge. You were the perfect host for it and inspired millions of young adults, including myself (a long time ago). Deepest condolences to his family and friends.

purpleidea 6y ago

Damn. What a great loss. One of the best Canadians. I'm still hoping someone will release an archive of every single game. A torrent will do if the studio won't release it.

disown 6y ago
I think when he gained his US citizenship became an american. Besides he lived most of his life in the US, marriedan american, had american children, chose to die in america and his best work is in america as an american. Not sure on the canada-us naturalization laws. But I distinctly remember he became a US citizen some time ago. Regardless of his nationality, truly a great loss. One of the iconic figures of american television.
- wenc 6y ago
  So, when a Canadian adopts U.S. citizenship, they don't automatically cease to be Canadian unless they choose to renounce their citizenship. Dual citizenship is recognized. According to Wikipedia, Alex moved to the U.S. in 1973 at the age of 33, became a U.S. citizen in 1998 at the age of 58. Trebek is very much regarded as a Canadian, even in Canada. (RIP) One of the favorite pastimes Canadians have is that of pointing out Canadians whom people think are Americans. Peter Jennings (also RIP) and Alex Trebek are usually the first two that come to mind. Then there's Ryan Reynolds, Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, Joni Mitchell, etc. Recently I learned that HN's dang and sctb are Canadians too [1]... [1] https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-silicon-valley/the-lonely-work-of-moderating-hacker-news https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-silicon-valley/th...
  - kortilla 6y ago
    > whom people think are Americans. But he is an American. Dual citizenship doesn’t mean he isn’t American.
    - wenc 6y ago
      Correct. I should qualify that by saying are "just Americans".

haram_masala 6y ago

Alex Trebek was a favorite victim of Longmont Potion Castle. But what always stood out about those calls was Trebek’s kindness, his common sense, and his amazing refusal to lose his temper amidst the tsunami of diabolical absurdity that is an LPC call. Trebek was one of the very, very few call recipients who “won” at Longmont Potion Castle.

8bitsrule 6y ago
Needed to look that one up: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longmont_Potion_Castle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longmont_Potion_Castle

whalesalad 6y ago

This one hits hard. He was such a genuinely kind person. RIP.

somberi 6y ago

As someone who moved to US 25 years ago - when neither internet was not ubiquitous nor Cable TV affordable, for this then young man, Jeopardy and Mr. Trebek offered a peek into Americanah that extends even today. I have lived in a dozen countries since, and every time I stream Jeopardy from wherever, mind latches to the comfort of a sparse apartment, shared with 2 other roommates, all equally enthused by figuring out what this large, lovely country was all about, through the questions from the show. I, after a couple of attempts ended up being "screened" for the the show, and failed - Baseball and Civil War were the topics. I still do bad in these topics. Still much to learn, but thanks to Mr.Trebek, America offers a fleeting familiarity. If anyone wants to witness the two sides of American popular culture, spend an hour between 7-8pm on ABC - For the first half you will see Jeopardy, and then a cheerful but vapid (by design) Wheel of Fortune. I was telling my wife, two days ago, that CNN political host John King will be a good stand-in for Mr.Trebek and today I heard this news. I will miss Mr.Trebek in a way that will last my lifetime.

blacksqr 6y ago

Trebek and the Jeopardy crew used to tour military bases around the world to greet the troops and give the qualifying exam in search of potential contestants. I got to meet him as a goofy young officer fanboy at Yokota Air Base in Japan in the late 1980's. I asked to get a photo with him, and of course he was perfectly gracious. Still have it somewhere.

sandworm101 6y ago

Almost 20 years ago I had a brief conversation with Mr Trebek. Hew was working on the Canadian "Reach for the Top" trivia competition. He was half-way through giving me some "advice" when he stopped himself: "Sorry, I now realize you probably know how to do your job and I'll stop talking." Even when not happy, when other celebs could easily get hot headed, he remained a consummate professional. I never heard a bad thing said about the guy.

xbar 6y ago

Rest in peace, Alex Trebek.

owenversteeg 6y ago

Wow. Rest in peace, Mr. Trebek. I can thank Alex Trebek for inspiring the first ever computer program I made and actually distributed - a terrible "Jeopardy" game. Made it myself in Java (that I learned entirely from a paper book), then tried to "convert" the resulting JAR to an EXE using some weird converter, then burned the somewhat mangled result onto a bunch of DVD-Rs and gave them out. One of the most difficult parts of the "programming" process was copying and pasting the same few lines around the whole program, because I didn't yet fully understand scope and variables, hah.

closeparen 6y ago
My childhood Jeopardy “programming” experience was hyperlinks in PowerPoint.

snegu 6y ago

I got the chance to see him in action from being on the show, and he was probably the most impressive "people person" I've ever met. Just perfectly at ease telling stories and interacting with strangers, and he sets everybody else at ease also. I don't know how a person ends up like that, whether its a matter of innate talent, training, or a mix of the two, but I've never seen anything like it.

gigatexal 6y ago

I’m sad. I used to watch Jeopardy! with my family almost every night.

dharmon 6y ago

I went to a taping about 4 years ago (so Trebek was 76ish). For those who've never been, the show is basically filmed in real-time, and the first thing they do during the commercial breaks is Alex re-records any cards that he might have flubbed so they can punch it in later during editing. They film 5 episodes in a day, and maybe he had to re-record 1 or 2 per episode? I remember thinking that was incredible, and I still do. Even some of the things they re-recorded I wasn't sure why (possibly he mis-pronounced a foreign word I wasn't familiar with). I guess taking 2 of my favorite musicians wasn't enough, 2020 had to come for the host of my favorite game show.

cortesoft 6y ago
Yeah, I went to a college jeopardy taping, and the thing I was most shocked by was how fast it all went by. It seemed a lot faster in real life than on TV.
3131s 6y ago
> I guess taking 2 of my favorite musicians wasn't enough Rappers are getting murdered all the time lately, assuming that's what you're referring too. It's really gotten to me this year too, especially the situation in Chicago. I'm guessing most people on HN don't know that a very popular musician was killed just two days ago.
- ekam 6y ago
  King von?

HNthrow22 6y ago

RIP. I'd love to know why is this allowed but Kobe threads were all removed?

goldenchrome 6y ago
This is a forum for nerds, and nerds get bullied by jocks.

anonu 6y ago

I love Jeopardy and Trebek was fantastic. He was a calm, composed, reassuring voice in a sea of chaos. I just can't fathom doing something you love so much until your very last breath. Trebek epitomized this - day after day - entertaining millions. A great man that will be sorely missed.

Magi604 6y ago

When I was young me and my family would gather around the TV to watch Jeopardy every night. We would pretend to be contestants and try to give the questions before the contestants on TV could. It's definitely one of my fonder childhood memories. Rip Alex. Thanks for the good family times.

Fezzik 6y ago

Mr. Trebek brought generations together, at least mine. Jeopardy! and The Sound of Music are the two things my grandparents (b. 1920 and 1921, now deceased) and I (b. 1981) could always watch together and enjoy. Even when I was a 17 y/o delinquent shit I could always watch Trebek with grandma, and it just felt good. As others have mentioned - the passing if Mr.s. Trebek and Connery is the end of generation-spanning eras. I’m having a few too many drinks tonight as my own way of remembering them.

mgkimsal 6y ago
who are some other 'generation-spanning' personalities/stars we have today?

beenBoutIT 6y ago

The saddest part of this is facing the harsh reality that Jeopardy cannot exist without Alex Trebek. The only hope for future episodes is an AI reproduction of Alex Trebek that's been well trained on his past shows.