Alex Trebek’s Adopted Daughter Nicky Trebek Shares Prayer Candles Tribute Photo After ‘Jeopardy!’ Host Dies at 80

Alex’s Trebek’s daughter, Nicky Trebek, is paying tribute to her late father with votive candles, sending out prayers after the beloved Jeopardy! host’s death Sunday at the age of 80 following a battle with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Nicky was adopted at the age of 6 by Alex when he married her mother, Elaine Trebek Kares, and continued to have a close relationship with the game show host after the married couple divorced in 1981, even working behind the scenes on Jeopardy! since 1984.

Sharing some of her love for her dad with her followers on social media, Nicky posted a photo of two prayer candles lit, presumably in his honor. While she left the post captionless, Nicky’s friends and followers made sure to express their condolences. “The world lost an icon, but you lost a father. God bless,” one person wrote. “My condolences to you and your family,” another added, while a different person wrote, “Sending you lots of LOVE and hugs.”

Nicky spoke in June 2020 about working with her father on Jeopardy! from the show’s start to InsideWink. “I can’t explain the special relationship I’ve had with Jeopardy! My life has taken me many different directions over the past 30 years but being back at Jeopardy! for the past five has been an incredible blessing,” she said.

While being Alex’s daughter on set might have put a little “extra pressure” on her, Nicky assured she was “tough” like her dad. “It does feel as if more eyes are on me to do the right thing and very aware when I do the wrong thing (haha) but all in all working on Jeopardy! has been and still is like my second family,” she wrote. “The Jeopardy! fam is strong and resilient. I’m lucky to be a part of it.”

Alex is also survived by his wife Jean and their two children, Matthew and Emily. Fighting advanced pancreatic cancer for almost two years after announcing his diagnosis in March 2019, the TV icon spent his final day exactly how he wanted, Jeopardy! producer Mike Richards said Monday on TODAY. His final hours were spent “sitting on his swing next to his wife, Jean, and kind of watching the horizon,” Richards said, and he was able to enjoy it while coherent and not in pain. “The fact that he had a nice final day makes all of us in the Jeopardy! family feel much better,” he noted.