Sunday morning, news surfaced that legendary TV host Alex Trebek had passed away at the age of 80 due to pancreatic cancer. Millions of people around the world responded to the news by posting tributes on social media while others talked about their own personal interactions. Actress Rosie Perez joined this group and reminisced about appearing on screen with Trebek.
Perez tweeted about Trebek on Saturday afternoon and mentioned that she had appeared with the Jeopardy! host in a beloved basketball film. The two filmed a scene together in White Men Can’t Jump, along with announcer Johnny Gilbert, Allan Malamud and Leonard A. Oakland. Trebek appeared as himself due to Jeopardy! playing a significant part in the film’s plot. He asked questions to the audience and then showed off his improv skills when Perez flubbed a line.
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Very sad. #AlexTrebek fought with dignity to the very end. Will never forget filming with him #WhiteMenCantJump. He was kind and funny. When I mispronounced Mt. Vesuvius, he went right along & ad-libbed “checking with the judges” and the rest is history. You will be missed! xoxo https://t.co/SzGfJIyJX3
— Rosie Perez (@rosieperezbklyn) November 8, 2020
The movie clip featured Perez as “Gloria,” a former disco queen facing off with an English teacher from Spokane, Washington, as well as a rocket scientist from Pasadena, California. She was the underrated member of the trio, but Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes still sat in the crowd cheering her on. Gloria answered a question correctly about the wishbone and then headed to the natural disasters category.
“That was an iconic scene you did in that movie!!! Jeopardy is my favorite show and this news is heartbreaking!” one fan wrote in response to Perez. Several others joined in on the conversation and expressed a similar sentiment. They said that Trebek was a “national treasure” and talked about how that Jeopardy! scene provided endless entertainment and inspiration for Halloween costumes.
Perez was one of the many posting tributes to Trebek while discussing his time on Jeopardy! and away from TV screens. Members of the wrestling industry reminisced about him working as a ring announcer and backstage interviewer during WrestleMania VII while NFL players talked about their times watching the trivia show every single night. The tweets and posts on Instagram continued throughout Sunday as more and more people heard the news.
“6p weeknights will never be the same. So many great memories and thankful to have met him,” Green Bay Packers quarterback tweeted on Sunday afternoon. The veteran quarterback previously met Trebek during an appearance on Andy Richter’s Big Fan. He watched Packers fans answer questions about him and then saw Trebek provide guidance to Richter.
