This weekend brought the sad news that Alex Trebek passed away at age 80, following a battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. In addition to being the iconic host of Jeopardy! for over three decades, Trebek had a long history with music too. Jeopardy! was known for its fair share of interesting music questions over the years, and before Jeopardy!, Trebek hosted the Canadian music television series Music Hop from 1963 to 1964. Here he is introducing Bobby Curtola and interviewing Gordon Lightfoot on the show back in the day:
Before he became the iconic host of “Jeopardy!” Alex Trebek first hosted “Music Hop” starting in 1963. Check out this clip from the CBC show that helped launch Trebek's career. pic.twitter.com/dL0JpN2Xhs
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 9, 2020
Alex Trebek also touched the lives of countless musicians, many of whom have paid tribute. See below for tributes from Gene Simmons, John Legend, Questlove, Chance The Rapper, Silversun Pickups, Vernon Reid, Marissa Nadler, Devon Welsh, Geoff Rickly, Vinnie Caruana, Chris Farren, and others.
In a since-deleted tweet, El-P wrote that Run The Jewels actually reached out to Alex Trebek to ask him to appear on a sequel to RTJ2‘s “Jeopardy,” but that they couldn’t make it happen. “To me Alex represented a calm joy of knowledge and its pursuit,” El-P wrote. “He had a gentlemanly demeanor and seemingly kind soul and used intelligence playfully and encouragingly. Sad to see him go and hope he rests peacefully.”
Alex Trebek, Rest In Peace. A wonderful, kind soul. You will be missed 😞. https://t.co/t91YaoxW6a
— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) November 8, 2020
I was obsessed with Jeopardy as a nerdy kid growing up in Ohio. I’ve loved and revered Alex Trebek since I can remember. What an iconic career. RIP Alex Trebek.
— John Legend (@johnlegend) November 8, 2020
rip Alex Trebeck 🕊
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) November 8, 2020
RIP Alex Trebek. I’ll never forget this moment…_b pic.twitter.com/S4M2EZoe87
— Silversun Pickups (@SSPU) November 8, 2020
Game. Show. LEGEND. https://t.co/Ye96MV4QNM
— Vernon Reid (@vurnt22) November 8, 2020
https://twitter.com/devonwelsh/status/1325491341212651527
Thank you Alex ;( https://t.co/QBYK2Bowae
— Marissa Nadler (@marissanadler) November 8, 2020
A kind, inquisitive, sweet man. 🙏🏼❤️ https://t.co/usReHXWLkS
— Geoffrey Rickly (@GeoffRickly) November 8, 2020
https://twitter.com/vinniecaruana/status/1325506525939585024
This is so funny still. RIP ALEX https://t.co/O284o0LUZ8
— Chris Farren (@chrisfarren) November 8, 2020
Until Covid happened, Jeopardy was the only show I would watch every night for the past several years. The way he handled hosting the show while battling cancer was so gracious and inspirational. RIP Alex Trebek ❤️
— Moon Boots (@MoonBootsMusic) November 8, 2020
May we never forget Alex Trebek’s rapping skills!
RIP to the iconic 'Jeopardy' host. 😔🕊https://t.co/iQhbg2bNYDpic.twitter.com/5MrKNFOiTM
— Okayplayer (@okayplayer) November 9, 2020
https://twitter.com/stevewynn/status/1325509102378868737