Alex Trebek announced on Wednesday that he has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
And two months before revealing the news, the longtime host of TV quiz show Jeopardy! said in January that he wishes he met his wife Jean, 54, earlier in the life.
The 78-year-old told People two months ago: ‘I’m pretty satisfied with my life. But my wife Jean and I have been together almost 29 years, and I was thinking about President Bush when he died, and all the comments about his life about what a nice guy he is, and how he and his wife had been together 73 years.’
Sweet thought: two months before revealing the news, Alex Trebek said in January that he wishes he met his wife Jean earlier in the life; pictured June 14, 2014 in Hollywood, CA
He continued: ‘I thought, oh my gosh… if I’d just met Jean in my 20s we could have had a longer life together.’
Alex joked to the outlet: ‘I guess if I’d met her when I was in my twenties she wouldn’t have been born yet. But hey, 29 years is pretty good!’
He was previously married to Elaine Callei; they wed in 1974 and divorced in 1981. They had no children together.
Alex and his wife Jean Currivan married in 1990; they have two children together: Matthew, 29, and Emily, 27.
In love: The 78-year-old told People two months ago: ‘I’m pretty satisfied with my life. But my wife Jean and I have been together almost 29 years, and I was thinking about President Bush when he died, and all the comments about his life about what a nice guy he is, and how he and his wife had been together 73 years;’ pictured May 30, 1990 in Hollywood, CA
Matthew Trebek is the owner of the popular Mexican eatery Oso in New York City.
Emily works in real estate in Los Angeles, according to People.
Jean told the outlet in January that they were just friends for a while before it ever got romantic.
She said to People: ‘There was just this deep sensitivity about him with a gruffy exterior. I kept thinking, he’s 24 years older than me… but there was something that just kept drawing me to him.’
Jean said that he’s got a ‘great sense of humor,’ he’s ‘intelligent’ and ‘curious,’ adding ‘he takes his job very seriously but won’t take himself too seriously.’
Family: Alex and his wife Jean Currivan married in 1990; they have two children together: Matthew, 29, and Emily, 27; pictured in Beverly Hills on February 22, 2015
She said to the magazine: ‘We have our challenges, and then we have our really beautiful times where we’re just so blessed to know that we’re in each other’s courtyard.’
Two months after his sweet remarks about his wife, Alex recorded a message on YouTube, saying: ‘Now, just like 50,000 other people in the United States each year, this week I was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.’
‘Now normally, the prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but I’m going to fight this, and I’m going to keep working.
Strength: The longtime Jeopardy host announced on Wednesday that he has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer
‘And with the love and support of my family and friends and with the help of your prayers also, I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease.’
‘Truth told, I have to! Because under the terms of my contract, I have to host Jeopardy! for three more years!’
‘So help me. Keep the faith and we’ll win. We’ll get it done. Thank you.’
Trebek, who has been the host of Jeopardy! for 35 seasons, will immediately begin chemotherapy treatment, Tmz reported.
The syndicated program is viewed by 23 million people each week, making it the top-rated quiz show on U.S. television.
Jeopardy! is produced by Sony Pictures Television Sony, a division of Sony Corp, and distributed by a division of CBS Corp.
The Ontario native has had a few recent health scares.
In December 2017, he underwent brain surgery after he was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Trebek was experiencing complications from a fall the month before when he hit his head.
Amazing: Trebek is seen above during his first season hosting the successful quiz show in 1984
Icon: The syndicated program is viewed by 23 million people each week, making it the top-rated quiz show on U.S. television
On December 16, he underwent surgery to remove a subdural hematoma, which occurs when there is a build-up of bleeding on the brain usually after a head injury.
In 2012, he suffered a mild heart attack. In 2015, he needed to host Jeopardy! sitting down due to a knee replacement that he underwent.
In May, he signed a new contract keeping him on as Jeopardy! host through 2019-2020 – the show’s 36th season on air.
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