For years, “Jeopardy!” fans have yearned to learn more about the behind-the-scenes life of their beloved host, the silver-haired, even-toned Alex Trebek. But so far he has been relatively tight-lipped about it.
In July, those fans will get new insights into Mr. Trebek in a memoir that delves into the game show host’s thoughts on topics like marriage, parenthood and spirituality, the publisher, Simon & Schuster, announced on Tuesday.
Mr. Trebek had resisted entreaties to write a book about his life for over three decades, the publisher said, but his position changed after his Stage-4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis last year prompted an outpouring of support and interest in his health.
“I want people to know a little more about the person they have been cheering on for the past year,” Mr. Trebek writes in the book, titled, “The Answer Is …: Reflections on my Life.”
The book, which is a slim 160 pages, is scheduled for release on July 21, the day before Mr. Trebek turns 80. The structure of the memoir is inspired by “Jeopardy!,” with each chapter title taking the form of a question.
It will include some of Mr. Trebek’s thoughts on two record-breaking players, Ken Jennings and James Holzhauer, who shot to game-show fame last year and inspired a multiday tournament meant to determine the “Greatest of All Time” (Mr. Jennings won). There will also be an appraisal of Will Ferrell’s impression of him on “Saturday Night Live” and an explanation of why Mr. Trebek shaved off his famous mustache.
Mr. Trebek, who became the host of “Jeopardy!” in 1984, has consistently kept fans updated on his health in media interviews and videos shot on the set of the game show. Last month, he announced in a video posted on Twitter that he had passed the one-year mark since his diagnosis, something he said only 18 percent of Stage-4 pancreatic cancer patients do.
Mr. Trebek has been candid about the struggles of battling cancer, saying in the video that “there were moments of great pain, days when certain bodily functions no longer functioned, and sudden, massive attacks of great depression that made me wonder if it really was worth fighting on.”
But Mr. Trebek said he is taking solace in the solidarity of fellow cancer patients and taking one day at a time.
Source: Television - nytimes.com
