In a new interview with ABC News, Alex Trebek acknowledged he might not have a lot of time left to live thanks to his battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
The legendary Jeopardy! host, who has never missed a taping of the show, admitted he sometimes is hit with moments of “depression” and “sadness” due to his cancer. But, those moments are somewhat alleviated by the positive impact his public battle with the disease has had.
“I have learned something in the past year and it’s this: We don’t know when we’re going to die,” Trebek said. “Because of the cancer diagnosis, it’s no longer an open-ended life, it’s a closed-ended life because of the terrible…survival rates of pancreatic cancer. Because of that, and something else that is operating here, people all over America and abroad have decided they want to let me know now, while I’m alive, about the impact that I’ve been having on their existence. They have come out and they have told me, and my gosh, it makes me feel so good.”
Trebek has been candid about his health and previously revealed that he is “nearing the end” of his life and but is not afraid of dying.
“One thing they’re not gonna say at my funeral during a eulogy is ‘he was taken from us too soon,’” Trebek said in October. “I’m 79 years old. I’ve lived a full life, a good life, and I’m nearing the end of that life. I know that. I’m not gonna delude myself. If it happens, it happens. Why should I be afraid of that?”
Despite his declining health, Trebek will host the Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time tournament beginning January 7.
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