Longtime “Jeopardy” host Alex Trebek has advanced pancreatic cancer

CULVER CITY, Calif. – Beloved “JEOPARDY!” host Alex Trebek announced he has stage 4 pancreatic cancer Wednesday.

Trebek has hosted the weekday program for over 30 consecutive years after starting out in the broadcast business in 1961.

Last year, Trebek said he was considering retiring, but later signed a contract extension that lasts until 2022.

Trebek said he fully plans to fight the disease while continuing to host “Jeopardy!”

He released the following statement:

“Hi everyone, I have some news to share with all of you and it’s in keeping with my longtime policy of being open and transparent with our Jeopardy! fan base. I also wanted to prevent you from reading or hearing some overblown or inaccurate reports regarding my health. So therefore, I wanted to be the one to pass along this information. Now, just like 50,000 other people in the United States each year, this week I was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Now normally, the prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but I’m going to fight this, and I’m going to keep working. And with the love and support of my family and friends and with the help of your prayers also, I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease. Truth told, I have to! Because under the terms of my contract, I have to host Jeopardy! for three more years! So help me. Keep the faith and we’ll win. We’ll get it done. Thank you.”