‘Jeopardy!’ Champion Dies After Battle With Cancer: Ben Scripps Was 52

Sad news for the Jeopardy! community. Ben Scripps, a former champion of the game competition series, has died at the age of 52.

Per TV Insider, he passed away on September 20 after a battle with cancer. Dykstra Funeral Home shared his obituary on their website.

Born Gordon Benjamin Scripps, he worked as a TV director from Cadillac, Michigan. He died in Holland, Michigan. He was named after both of his grandfathers, but he went by his middle name.

Scripps competed on Jeopardy! in May 2020. He won $38,158 in two games before he lost his third game to Nathan Berger. It was his lifelong dream to be on the game show. 

Before making it on the show, he took the Anytime Test in 2019 and went to Chicago, Illinois, for the next round in the process. After being selected, he flew to California in March 2020. There was no studio audience at the time of his taping due to COVID-19 restrictions. Aside from Jeopardy!, he loved to play golf. Scripps was a member of a golf club that took frequent trips to Northern Michigan to play.

Those who love him describe him as a “gentle soul” and “friend to all.” “He had a great, contagious smile and a quick sense of humor,” his obituary reads. His brother confirmed the news of his death on Instagram with accompanying pictures. “My brother Ben Scripps left his earthly vessel last night and went on to whatever adventure awaits us next,” he wrote in the post.

“In his final days the nurses and doctors would all say wow you’re a Jeopardy! champion, you must be really smart,” his brother added. “He would reply with nope just good at trivia, you’re a nurse(or doc), you’re the smart one in the room. While he hated being in the hospital, he could not stop singing the praises of all the nurses who cared for him. Using energy that he just didn’t have to let them know how much he appreciated them.”