Alex Trebek isn’t scared of the inevitable.
The Jeopardy! host opened up about his cancer diagnosis and his most recent round of chemotherapy in a new interview with CTV News, where he made it clear he would continue to host the show for as long as he physically could.
Unfortunately he also wondered aloud how long that would be.
As we reported, the 79-year-old announced in March he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He finished his treatment and was “near remission” as of May, but his numbers went “sky-high” months later and he unfortunately required another round of chemo last month.
During the interview, Trebek — who was still on stage in late July when the syndicated show started taping its fall season — made it clear he’ll continue to work as he fights his illness, “as long as [his] skills do not diminish.”
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And when the grim reaper does come knocking on his door, whenever that may be, the television icon won’t be afraid. He told the Canadian news station over the weekend:
“I’m not afraid of dying. I’ve lived a good life, a full life, and I’m nearing the end of that life… if it happens, why should I be afraid of that?”
Sounds like he’s really made peace with this whole thing.
Trebek went as far as to envision his memorial service, musing how no one would say he died tragically young:
“One thing they’re not going to say at my funeral, as a part of a eulogy, is ‘He was taken from us too soon.'”
Such a good sense of humor!
Despite his rather tranquil perspective on death and illness, Trebek said he still understands the hopelessness of other cancer patients, noting it’s often difficult “trying to be as optimistic as you can when the other person feels none of that… they feel only despair.”
He added:
“And I don’t know if I was strong enough or intelligent enough to help alleviate that despair.”
Trebek has hosted Jeopardy! for 36 seasons with almost 8,000 episodes. While he’ll continue to host as long as he can, he acknowledges the chemotherapy is already causing him to trip on his words due to the sores in his mouth from treatment.
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He explained:
“I’m sure there are observant members of the television audience that notice also, but they’re forgiving. But there will come a point when they will no longer be able to say, ‘It’s OK.’”
But until then, the father-of-two isn’t going anywhere:
“There are weaknesses I feel in my body but I can always suck it up when it comes to tape the show… I’m hanging in. So we’re back on the chemo and we’ll see if the numbers go down. And if they do… they can’t keep doing it forever, of course.”
Sending the game show icon love and light as he continues to battle this awful disease.
Watch his full interview (below):
[Image via W5/Jeopardy!/YouTube]
The post Alex Trebek Says He’s ‘Not Afraid Of Dying’ In Candid Interview About Pancreatic Cancer Battle appeared first on Perez Hilton.