Thread: Alex Trebek hospitilized for heart attack

Trebek hospitalized with heart attack
By ROBERT JABLON, Associated Press Writer Tue Dec 11, 3:38 PM PST

Longtime "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek was hospitalized Tuesday after a minor heart attack, a spokesman for the game show said.

Trebek, 67, was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center late Monday night and was expected to remain there about two days for tests and observation, said show spokesman Jeff Ritter.

"Thankfully it was a minor heart attack," Ritter said. He did not give other details.

A post on the official "Jeopardy!" Web site said Trebek was "resting comfortably in a Los Angeles hospital, and he will be back in the studio for the next scheduled tapings in January." His heart attack was first reported by "Entertainment Tonight."

Trebek escaped a car crash unhurt in 2004 when he fell asleep at the wheel, sideswiped a string of mailboxes and wound up in a ditch, according to the California Highway Patrol. The Jan 30, 2004, accident happened in the town of Templeton, not far from Trebek's thoroughbred horse ranch.

"Jeopardy!" has been one of television's top-rated syndicated programs for more than 20 years. The Canadian-born Trebek has been its host since 1984.

He has been nominated numerous times for daytime Emmy Awards for game show host, winning twice.

Trebek, who holds a philosophy degree from the University of Ottawa, was a TV and radio reporter for the Canadian Broadcasting Company before moving to the United States. He became a U.S. citizen in 1998.

He launched his U.S. game show career in 1983 as host of a show called "The Wizard of Odds." Other shows he's hosted include "Pitfall," "Battlestars," "The $128,000 Question," "Double Dare," "High Rollers," "Strategy" and "Reach for the Top." He also hosts the annual National Geography Bee in the U.S. and Canada.

Trebek and his wife, Jean, have two children.