WEBVTT
X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000,MPEGTS:270000

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coming on the air at this hour

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with some breaking news.

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We have learned that longtime

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"Jeopardy!" Host Alex trebek has

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died after waging a very public

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battle with pancreatic cancer.

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Often a private man, trebek was

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candid about his condition, his

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treatment, his good days and his

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difficult days.

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Always appearing with a sense of

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optimism, he became host of

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"Jeopardy!" In 1984, working up

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until his death.

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He had hoped to live to see his

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two-year survival against cancer

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in February.

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Here now is ABC's Michael

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Strahan with more on the

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remarkable life and career of

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Alex trebek.

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>> And now here is the host of

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"Jeopardy!" Alex trebek.

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>> Reporter: He's one of the

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most enduring and recognizable

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figures on television.

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Night after night, Alex trebek

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tested contestants and viewers

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to answer tough trivia questions

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in that unusual way.

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>> Nancy.

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>> Who is Larry David?

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>> Right.

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>> What is gymnastics?

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>> I get to say it to Alex.

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What is okay, boomer?

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>> Thank you.

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Thank you.

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>> Reporter: Alex trebek and

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"Jeopardy!" Have become

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engrained in American pop

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culture.

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>> It's time for final jeopardy.

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>> And so this was --

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>> Never be afraid of poking fun

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at yourself.

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Self-deprecating humor is worth

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its weight in gold.

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>> Reporter: Canadian-born,

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trebek got his start in news at

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the CDC.

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>> I was the only bilingual

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announcer on the

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english-speaking staff so I got

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to do extra programming.

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I was 27 years old at the time.

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I was having a good time.

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>> Reporter: In 1984, merv

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griffin hired him to host

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"Jeopardy!"

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>> This is "Jeopardy!."

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>> Reporter: He turned

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"Jeopardy!" Into appointment

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television.

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>> Welcome to excitement

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headquarters.

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>> Reporter: In 2019, the

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private trebek started to fight

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a public battle.

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>> It was not devastating news

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to me.

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>> Reporter: He openly shared

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his diagnosis with viewers.

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>> This week I was diagnosed

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with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

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>> Throughout my life, I've

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always wondered about how

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courageous a human being I was.

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I can be scared to death and I

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still have to deal with it, but

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I'm not scared to death.

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So maybe I am courageous.

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>> Reporter: He became an

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advocate for early detection.

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>> Other common symptoms can

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include mid back pain,

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unexplained weight loss, new

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onset diabetes.

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>> Reporter: --

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>> Most of us have open-ended

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lives.

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We don't know when we're going

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to die.

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Because of a cancer diagnosis,

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it's a closed-end life, and

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because of that, people all over

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America and abroad have decided

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they want to let me know now

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while I'm alive about the impact

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that I have been having on their

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existence, and I have on my desk

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right now an email from a woman

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who said my brother-in-law just

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saw your psa and decided to go

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and see his doctor.

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>> Today he found out that he

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has stage 1 pancreatic cancer.

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Looks like it's very treatable,

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so I wanted to say thank you

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because I really feel like you

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saved his life.

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>> Reporter: Another special

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moment playing out on the show.

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>> The category was famous

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phrases.

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Drew gar wrote --

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>> What is we love you, Alex?

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That's very kind.

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Cost you $1,995.

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You're left with 5 bucks.

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I read it first and then I got

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choked up because it suddenly

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registered on me.

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Oh, dear.

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Okay.

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Yeah.

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I don't mind getting choked up.

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It's humbling.

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>> Reporter: For the man who had

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all the answers, trebek admitted

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he learned a lot about life in

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his final days.

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>> Make the most of today.

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Stop worrying about the future.

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Just treat every day as a

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blessing, and enjoy it to the

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fullest, and try to be aware of

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when you leave this Earth that

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you've made a difference in the

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lives of other people, a

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positive difference.

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>> Our thanks to Michael Strahan

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for that report.

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A remarkable life, and we'll

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have much more on the passing of

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Alex trebek and news, all the

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news about President-Elect Joe

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Biden coming up on "World news