Legendary television
host Alex Trebek, who became one of the most popular personalities on American television
after decades on the quiz show “Jeopardy!”, died on Sunday at the age of 80.

Trebek battled
with pancreatic cancer for nearly two years, but continued shooting for his program
until very recently.

His passing
was confirmed on Twitter by the “Jeopardy!” account, which said Trebek “passed
away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by friends and family”.

CNN media
analyst Brian Stelter called Trebek “the greatest game show host of his
generation… You always watched, and you came away smarter.”

Canadian
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took to Twitter to express his condolences for
the Canadian-born Trebek.

“We
have lost an icon. Almost every night for more than three decades, Alex Trebek
entertained and educated millions around the world, instilling in so many of us
a love for trivia,” he wrote.

Trebek became
a US citizen in 1998 had hosted “Jeopardy!” since 1984. He previously
hosted other game shows, including “Double Dare” and “Classic Concentration,”
as well as hosting the National Geographic Bee for 25 years.

But it was
his time at “Jeopardy!” — a 36-year run almost unheard of by
television standards — and his clear intelligence, gentlemanly aplomb and sly
good humor that earned him the eternal devotion of millions of viewers.

He also won
a slew of awards. Trebek was a five-time daytime Emmy Award winner. He had a
star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

He was so
deeply immersed in American popular culture that Trebek — or his imitators —
appeared in numerous movies and TV shows; comedian Will Ferrell played him on
“Saturday Night Live”; he once even drew headlines by shaving his
signature moustache.

Sometimes
two or even three generations of viewers would gather before televisions to
watch him. One contestant, Burt Thakur, grew tearful on a recently aired
episode when he told Trebek how, as a small child in India, he watched the show
on his grandfather’s lap.

“I
realised English due to you. And so, my grandfather who raised me – I’m going
to get tears proper now – I used to take a seat on his lap and watch you day by
day.”

Trebek
received a flood of supportive mail after announcing his Stage 4 cancer.
“I’m going to fight this,” he told his fans. Many wrote to tell him
they were inspired by his battle.

He had had
earlier health scares, including two heart attacks and a bad auto accident, but
always came back.

George Alexander Trebek was born on July 22, 1940, in
Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. His father
was a Ukrainian immigrant; his mother a French-speaking Canadian.

With a degree
in philosophy in hand, he went to work for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
in 1961; by 1966 he was hosting a high school quiz show.

Trebek
moved to the United States in 1973 to host a new NBC game show, “The
Wizard of Odds.” He took over the reins at “Jeopardy!” in 1984
when a friend of his, original host Art Fleming, declined to return.

Trebek held
the record for the most game show episodes hosted by the same presenter, at
6,829, according to Variety.

“You
work hard, you do your best,” he said with typical modesty at one awards
show. He and his wife Jean Currivan have two children.