'Jeopardy' Legend Alex Trebek Celebrates 79th Birthday In New Photo Amid Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis
Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek is blowing out the candles on another year of life. The longtime game [...]
Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek is blowing out the candles on another year of life. The longtime game show host turned 79 on Monday and celebrated the day alongside family and friends, with the official Jeopardy! Instagram account sharing photos from the celebrations showing Trebek in a ballroom filled with balloons and flowers.
"Today is Alex's birthday!" the account wrote. "Send him your wishes in the comments below!"
In the photos, Trebek could be seen posing alongside his wife, Jean Currivan Trebek, and their two children, Emily, 26, and Matthew, 29.
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Eager to celebrate alongside the beloved game show host, many of Trebek's fans took to the comments section to send him well-wishes
"I wish nothing but health and happiness for you Mr. Trebek," one person wrote. "Thank you for all of the love you give us through your fascinating show. Lots of love and happy birthday!"
"Alex!! You are an institution!" another added. "'ve been watching you host Jeopardy since I was a toddler. Many happy returns, thank you for enriching all of our lives."
"Happy birthday to the best game show host in the whole wide world! We love you so much!" commented another.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY! thanks for being my biggest inspiration throughout my childhood!" added a fourth. "I hope your day is great! you deserve the best."
Later in the day, the Jeopardy! account shared another photo to celebrate, this one showing Trebek on set standing behind a Jeopardy!-themed birthday cake reading "Who is 79?" with a Jeopardy! logo on the bottom and a question mark on top.
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The birthday celebrations come just months after Trebek revealed in March that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, stating that although "the prognosis for this is not very encouraging," he was going to seek treatment and "keep working."
In May, the longtime game show host announced that he had received good news amid his ongoing battle, revealing that the tumors had shrunk by 50 percent.
"It's kind of mind-boggling," he told PEOPLE. "The doctors said they hadn't seen this kind of positive result in their memory…some of the tumors have already shrunk by more than 50 percent."
Trebek has been the host of Jeopardy! for 35 years, taking over the gig from former host Art Fleming in 1984. In November, it was announced that Trebek had renewed his contract for an additional three years, meaning he is slated to keep his iconic role as host until 2022.