Celebrities have shared messages of support for Alex Trebek, after the Jeopardy! host revealed he has been diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer.
Trebek publicly disclosed his diagnosis in a video message on Wednesday, telling his fans to “keep the faith” as he “plans to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease”.
Singer Cher is among those who publicly expressed their affection for the TV host after the news broke.
“Sending love and prayers to Alex Trebek,” she tweeted. “I’ve been playing Jeopardy! with him since I was in my twenties... ahhh... thirties, hhmm... fourties... fifties... OMG... sixties. I’LL NEVER BE TOO OLD TO PLAY.”
Nancy Sinatra mimicked the format of the Jeopardy! game show (per which candidates are given an answer and must guess the corresponding question) in her message to Trebek.
“Answer: Who can beat a lousy diagnosis? Question: Who is Alex Trebek?” Sinatra wrote. “We, your family, are sending love and standing with you, Alex. God keep you strong. WIN.”
Comedian Ken Jeong expressed his admiration for Trebek, tweeting: “Sending all my love, thoughts and prayers to Alex Trebek. You are my hero.”
Actor Mr T also shared a heartfelt message for the host, writing: “God bless you Alex Trebek and anyone else who is fighting cancer. ‘Don’t just keep the faith... Share the faith!’” and citing a Bible proverb.
Busy Philipps also publicly shared her love for Trebek, sharing his video message and finishing her message with a string of heart emoji.
Celebrities’ messages came along with hundreds of notes from fans also sharing their support for the TV personality.
Trebek said in his video message on Wednesday that he wanted to discuss his diagnosis publicly ”in keeping with [his] longtime policy of being open and transparent with our Jeopardy! fan base”.
The host even joked that he has no choice but to recover in order to honour the terms of his contract, per which he has to keep presenting Jeopardy! for three more years.
Trebek, 78, started hosting Jeopardy! when the game show was revived in 1984, and has since earned a strong fan base.
