# Alex Trebek dead at 80 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** celebrity-death, reality-or-game-show\ **Created:** [March 6, 2019, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-dead-at-80/925075 "2019-03-06T22:38:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-dead-at-80/925075/41 "2019-03-07T22:33:55Z")
Saw this on Twitter: Hosting _Jeopardy_, Alex Trebek has been living the _Canadian Dream_; very politely letting Americans know that they’re not \*quite \*as smart as they \*think \*they are. I wish him luck, or at least comfort and peace, whichever path he chooses. ---
**Author:** ![Arcite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/67e7ee/32.png) [@Arcite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arcite)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-dead-at-80/925075/42 "2019-03-08T00:02:33Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > Covered a bit on GMA this morning. A big problem is that it is difficult to detect in early stages: (1) symptoms are very vague, (2) symptoms in early stages are not very severe, and (3) the location of the pancreas makes detection of tumors by palpitation during a routine physical pretty much impossible. No cost-effective screening test exists. Yes, the problem is that by the time the symptoms (like gradual loss of appetite) become noticeable enough to warrant significant investigation, like an abdominal CT scan, the cancer has already metastasized. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-dead-at-80/925075/43 "2019-03-08T00:19:32Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > I’m not saying he’ll beat this, but there’s no harm in fighting. It’s easy to say, “go home and die” when you’re not doing the dying. It’s a difficult choice, I imagine. My grandmother died from pancreatic cancer, and it was a shockingly fast deterioration even with the treatment. However, if as he said in the video 50,000 people are diagnosed with it annually, and if there’s a 2% survival rate that’s still 1000 people, which is not insignificant. All those people beat the odds, and he could be one of them. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-dead-at-80/925075/44 "2019-03-08T12:47:05Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > [Kind of odd choice](https://the-muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Sully), but I’m willing to give it a try. Har de har har. Obviously Gato meant [this guy](https://www.instructables.com/id/Sully-From-Monsters-Inc/). ---
**Author:** ![sudont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@sudont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sudont)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-dead-at-80/925075/45 "2019-03-08T14:50:28Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > But for me, personally, if I was told I had stage four pancreatic cancer I’d concentrate on staying out of pain and maximizing my time left, not trying to cure something that is pretty much considered uncurable at that point. I met a guy through my work who had the same diagnosis, and was told the smart thing would be to take a trip, or do something that he’d long wanted to do. In short, get a little enjoyment out of what little time was left. He took the doctors advice but, after a while, noticed he wasn’t dying. Somehow, the thing went into remission on its own. He eventually went back to work, and five years later, he’s still kicking. I imagine this is a very rare occurrence, but one never knows I guess. I hope Alex gets this lucky. I’m with you, though. Cancer treatment is its own misery. I’ll take the morphine and the vacation. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-dead-at-80/925075/46 "2019-03-08T15:36:32Z")
> [@CaptMurdock](#): > > I just had a vision of SNL’s possible tribute: Darryl Hammond comes back to do his Sean Connery impression. Connery stalks around the empty Jeopardy set, barking, “Trebek! Where are you, you gobshite?” Then somebody comes and tells him the news, and he goes silent. Then he says, “Who am I going to irritate now with inappropriate jokes about his mother?” A meme I saw this morning: **Alex Trebek:** I’m going to beat this. **Sean Connery:** That’s what your mother said last night, Alex. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-dead-at-80/925075/47 "2019-03-08T16:28:44Z")
As a long time Jeopardy fan, this news hit me hard too. Chris Hardwick interviewed Alex on his podcast a couple years ago, and Alex was very funny and personable. Any Trebek haters (or anyone really) out there should give it a listen, if it’s still available online. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2019, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-dead-at-80/925075/48 "2019-03-10T22:16:05Z")
> [@solost](#): > > As a long time Jeopardy fan, this news hit me hard too. Chris Hardwick interviewed Alex on his podcast a couple years ago, and Alex was very funny and personable. Any Trebek haters (or anyone really) out there should give it a listen, if it’s still available online. [Found it!](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/id10t-20632230/episode/alex-trebek-28940811/) ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-dead-at-80/925075/49 "2019-05-30T14:36:49Z")
[Trebek’s Cancer in “near-remission”](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jeopardy-host-alex-trebek-says-his-cancer-is-near-remission-after-mind-boggling-chemo-results) > [@](#): > > What is “mind-boggling”? This good news from “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek. > > The game show star says he is “near remission” less than three months after announcing his diagnosis of stage 4 pancreatic cancer — an illness with a five-year survival rate of only 9 percent. Trebek called his positive response to chemotherapy “kind of mind-boggling.” > > “The doctors said they hadn’t seen this kind of positive result in their memory,” Trebek told People, adding that some of his tumors “have already shrunk by more than 50 percent.” ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-dead-at-80/925075/50 "2019-05-30T19:35:27Z")
I’m not sure “near-remission” means what he thinks it means. Shrinking tumors is good - don’t get me wrong - but 50% is not enough I would think. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-dead-at-80/925075/51 "2019-05-30T19:37:58Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > I’m not sure “near-remission” means what he thinks it means. Shrinking tumors is good - don’t get me wrong - but 50% is not enough I would think. At least it is going in the right direction. I have no idea the particulars of this, but many times, they cannot surgically remove a tumor due to its size. Smaller tumor may also mean a better chance of an operation being successful. ---
**Author:** ![WildBlueYonder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ce7236/32.png) [@WildBlueYonder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildBlueYonder)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-dead-at-80/925075/52 "2019-05-30T19:49:06Z")
How many celebrities that have had pancreatic cancer have tried anything and everything and survived? Michael Landon tried and so did Patrick Swayze. Pancreatic cancer really is the BIG C. Hope Alex does make it… ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-dead-at-80/925075/53 "2019-05-30T20:05:05Z")
It’s good progress… but then, my late spouse’s tumors also shrank dramatically. At first. I wish Mr. Trebeck the best and I really hope he’s one of the lucky ones (I always hope the cancer patient I’m thinking about at the moment is one of the lucky ones) but it’s not unusual to have a dramatic initial result then, when the most susceptible to treatment cancer cells are killed off you’re left with the more resistant ones… which like all cancer cells want to multiply. Fighting cancer is fighting Darwinian selection - you’re trying to kill the cancer off before it gets a favorable mutation and becomes resistant to treatment. When it becomes resistant you try a new treatment. Until you run out of treatments. If you haven’t run out of cancer by that point, well… there’s a reason I call my spouse “late”. So good luck to Mr. Trebeck, I hope he continues to do well. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-dead-at-80/925075/54 "2019-05-30T21:08:09Z")
According to Alex, his doctors agree that the fan’s thoughts and prayers were a major factor in his recovery. I’m sure his doctors told him that. Keep up the good work Jeopardy! fans. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2019, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-dead-at-80/925075/55 "2019-08-29T23:46:24Z")
Update: [not dead](https://www.aol.com/article/entertainment/2019/08/29/alex-trebek-returns-jeopardy-after-chemo-stage-4-pancreatic-cancer/23803396/). ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2019, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-dead-at-80/925075/56 "2019-08-29T23:54:00Z")
Don’t scare me like that! Seeing this thread bumped made me think the worst. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2019, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-dead-at-80/925075/57 "2019-08-30T00:42:57Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Don’t scare me like that! Seeing this thread bumped made me think the worst. Yes, that, and the fact that Colonial Penn does seem to have replaced Trebek as spokesman (with a non-celeb actor, in the one I’m seeing–I did look for it on YouTube but am not having any success, yet). Anyway, thanks for posting the article, Darren Garrison. Good to see Trebek is doing well. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2019, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-dead-at-80/925075/58 "2019-08-30T03:16:43Z")
Begging your pardon, Darren, but when you scare us to death, you need to do so in the form of a question. …In the form of… a question. And, Sherred, the board is yours. Oops, I should say ‘will be yours’… after this pause for a few messages. [/alex] ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2019, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-dead-at-80/925075/59 "2019-08-30T13:31:32Z")
Answer: **NOT** Question: Is Alex Trebeck dead? ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2019, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-dead-at-80/925075/60 "2019-08-30T14:09:30Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Update: [not dead](https://www.aol.com/article/entertainment/2019/08/29/alex-trebek-returns-jeopardy-after-chemo-stage-4-pancreatic-cancer/23803396/). Saw this on the news last night. He looked awfully good for a 79YO man with stage 4 cancer who had just been through chemo. He spoke (and shared pictures) of working on a bathroom remodeling job in his home while he was away from the show. Dude is some kind of outlier; the usual story you hear about chemo is that your hair falls out and you feel like shit the whole time with nausea, diarrhea, and general malaise. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-dead-at-80/925075.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-dead-at-80/925075.md?page=4)