In what will be a sad day for television, “Final Jeopardy” for Alex Trebek will be on Christmas Day.
Fans were already saddened when Trebek, 80, the beloved game show host of “Jeopardy!” since 1984, died Sunday of pancreatic cancer. Episodes featuring Trebek will continue to air until Dec. 25, Sony Pictures Television announced in a news release.
The company also said that Trebek’s last day in the studio was Oct. 29, which was 10 days before his death, People reported.
>> Jeopardy! Host Alex Trebek dead at 80
The show went on hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic earlier this year but resumed production over the summer, according to the magazine.
Trebek took over as host of “Jeopardy” when the show was revived on ABC in 1984. Previously, the show aired during weekend afternoons on NBC from 1964 to 1979 and was hosted by Art Fleming.
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Sony Television has not announced plans for a new host, “Today” reported.
Trebek had been planning his exit from the long-running game show before his death.
Speaking to reporters at the Television Critics Association winter press tour in January, Trebek said he planned to only tell his producers on the day he taped his final show.
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“I made this decision a long time ago. What I would do, it would be the same as when I shaved my mustache. I would do it on a whim,” Trebek said. “On that particular day, I will speak to Harry (Friedman, executive producer), and I will speak to Clay (Jacobsen), our director, and tell them, ‘Give me 30 seconds at the end of the program. That’s all I need to say goodbye because it’s going to be the last show.’”
It is not clear whether Trebek went through with his plan.