Former Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek passed away almost three years ago on Nov. 8, 2020, following a battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Now, his legacy will live on in the form of the Alex Trebek Fund, announced today by his wife, Jean Trebek, in collaboration with Stand Up To Cancer.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the new fund will aid in growing research and resources for pancreatic cancer treatment. Jean, who combined with the estate of Barbara Hanania has already donated $1 million, shared in a statement that “Alex knew that knowledge equaled power.”
“He was a man that really loved to know things and stayed very curious,” she continued. “Since Alex was all about the right answer, I think it’s very fitting that this fund is now established in his name. It’s a way for the community that loved him to put resources directly into the hands of scientists working tirelessly to fight a disease shrouded by many unknowns.”
On this morning’s episode of TODAY, Jean and Stand Up To Cancer co-founder Katie Couric spoke to Savannah Guthrie about the origins of their partnership. Couric, who said she “loved and revered [Alex] like everyone else,” had reached out to the Jeopardy! team when Alex was diagnosed, “volunteering to help in any way [she] could.”
“When he lost his battle with pancreatic cancer, I reached out to Jean because having lost my husband Jay, I really understood what it was like to lose someone you love so much and to actually watch them suffer through this disease,” she explained. “So we just got to be friends and I wanted to support her in any way I could, and we started talking about Alex’s legacy, and how we could honor him, and that’s when the idea of this fund came about.”
As part of the announcement, the charity organization released a video featuring Jean, her and Alex’s daughter Emily Trebek, and current Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings. In the video, Jennings shared that the trivia show he has now become host of “was always big for [him] as a kid,” and deemed Alex as “a big inspiration” of his.
“He created this place, this space where it was safe to be a smart person,” he added. “He was so good at it, so graceful, so perfect for the role, that we all thought the job was easy. And it’s not, hosting Jeopardy! is incredibly hard.”
Emily also spoke to her father’s legacy, expressing that she “hope[s] that all of the fans and community of Jeopardy! really can lean in and show support for this.”
“I think they showed so much support for my dad when he was going through his cancer treatments,” she noted. “I hope that they stand up with this great organization.”
Watch the video above.