On November 8th, “Jeopardy!” lost its fearless leader Alex Trebek, who died at age 80 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He hosted the show for 36 years.

In 1966, when Trebek’s career began to take off, he switched from journalism to game show hosting. He began with a quiz show called “Reach for the Top,” with “Jackpot” following a few years later. In 1984, producer-host Merv Griffin chose him to host “Jeopardy!” Trebek received five Emmy Awards for his hosting skills and even passed Bob Parker of “The Price is Right” in the Guinness World Records as the person who had hosted the largest number of game-show episodes. 

But Trebek was always modest about his achievements. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in 2014, Trebek said, “I’m just enjoying what I’m doing. I’m happy to have a job. I like the show, I like the contestants and it pays well.” Over the course of his career, he won the Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding game show host seven times and also earned a lifetime achievement award at the Daytime Emmys in June of 2011.

When Trebek announced that he had stage 4 pancreatic cancer last March, individuals from across the entertainment industry shared their love for Trebek, who was a smiling presence on the small screen. As he once said, “The secret to happiness, of course, is not getting what you want; it’s wanting what you get.” From his time with big winner Ken Jennings to quizzing high school and college students, Alex Trebek will always be remembered for his dedication and pure love for what he did.