Some people look forward to retirement, but the lucky ones love their jobs so much that they could never imagine retiring, no matter what. Alex Trebek was one of those people. Even after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he didn’t stop working. Even during the coronavirus pandemic, when the show started filming again, he was happy to be back in the studio.

“Jeopardy” took a break from filming at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, but Trebek was truly happy when he was able to get back in the studio. In a statement, he explained, “On a personal level, I’m excited because it gets me out of the house. It gives me something to do on a regular basis, and I was missing that.”

Trebek told The New York Times that he felt like working on the show gave him energy. “Oddly enough, when we started taping I suddenly started to regain my strength. It’s the strangest thing. It is some kind of an elixir.”

After 37 years of hosting “Jeopardy,” we can only imagine how being away from the show for even a short time would be hard for Trebek to handle. The last time Trebek was in the studio filming “Jeopardy” was October 29, just 10 days before he breathed his last breath. He truly worked right up until the end.

Trebek died on November, 8, 2020, at the age of 80. “Jeopardy!” announced the news via Twitter.

Jeopardy! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends. Thank you, Alex. pic.twitter.com/Yk2a90CHIM

— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) November 8, 2020

Many of the new episodes that Trebek filmed have yet to air. They will air throughout November and December with the final show airing on Christmas day, December 25, 2020.

“Jeopardy!” show producers shared with The New York Times that even though Trebek put on a brave face and a smile for the camera, he was not in good health this past year. Executive producer Mike Richards said that Trebek sometimes looked like he was in pain during the morning meetings, and he was wondering how Trebek would be able to get through all 5 of the episodes they were planning to film later in the day, yet he always did. No matter what, when he walked onto the stage, he pulled himself together.

Johnny Gilbert, the show’s announcer, believed that Trebek was living for the show, yet, it also seems that Trebek was ready to die. Trebek shared with The New York Times that one time his wife asked him how he was feeling, and he was in so much pain that he said, “I feel like I want to die.” He went on to explain, “There comes a time where you have to make a decision as to whether you want to continue with such a low quality of life, or whether you want to just ease yourself into the next level. It doesn’t bother me in the least.”

Will you be watching Jeopardy on Christmas?