Despite having passed on, former “Jeopardy” host Alex Trebek has continued to deliver messages of optimism and hope.
Released on Monday, a video of Trebek filmed just days before his death from pancreatic cancer in November 2020 featured the beloved host encouraging everyone to open their hearts and consider the suffering of those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Hello, ladies and gentlemen, you’ll recall that about a month ago, I asked all of you to take a moment to give thanks for all of the blessings that you enjoy in your lives,” he began. “Now today, a different kind of message.”
“This is ‘the season of giving,’ I know you want to be generous with your family, your friends, your loved ones, but today I’d like you to go one step further,” he continued. “I’d like you to open up your hands and open your heart to those who are still suffering because of COVID-19. People who are suffering through no fault of their own.”
“We’re trying to build a gentler, kinder society,” he concluded. “And if we all pitch in just a little bit, we’re gonna get there.”
"If we all pitch in just a little bit, we're gonna get there." pic.twitter.com/Ip6HZJi43Y
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) January 5, 2021
As reported by Fox News, this week’s episode of the ever-present game show will “be the final ones featuring Trebek before guest hosts beginning with champ Ken Jennings will fill his position until a permanent replacement is named.”
The pre-recorded message of Trebek follows a previous message released on Thanksgiving just weeks after his death.
“Happy Thanksgiving, ladies and gentleman. You know, in spite of what America and the rest of the world is experiencing right now, there are many reasons to be thankful. There are more and more people extending helpful hands to do a kindness to their neighbors, and that’s a good thing,” he said in the 20 second message before advising people to “keep the faith.”
“Keep the faith, we’re gonna get through all of this, and we will be a better society because of it,” Trebek said.
Trebek died on Nov. 8 after a year-and-a-half battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. As The Daily Wire reported, Trebek initially appeared to be on the mend after a first round of treatment that was eventually undone:
The TV icon, whose avuncular personality and biting wit made the daily show a must-see for millions of Americans, announced in March 2019 that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He went through chemotherapy after the diagnosis but said he had no plans to retire.
Trebek stayed on as host for another full year and talked openly about “massive attacks of great depression that made me wonder if it was really worth fighting on.”
In one statement at the end of a show, Trebek noted that the odds of surviving a second year with pancreatic cancer were just 7%, but said he hoped to be an outlier on that statistic.
Despite his overall positive message, Trebek did admit that he occasionally struggled with depression and sadness while battling the disease.
“My oncologist told me one of the symptoms, if you will, of pancreatic cancer is that you get these moments of depression, sadness,” Trebek said.
Trebek added that his wife, Jean, had to sometimes “tread lightly” in his presence as she took care of his difficult symptoms.
“It’s always tough for caretakers because [Jean] has to deal with her worrying about my well-being,” said Trebek. “I’m not always the most pleasant person to be around when I’m experiencing severe pain or depression, and she has to tread lightly around me.”
With that, Trebek reflected upon how his fight with pancreatic cancer helped him reflect upon his own mortality.
“I have learned something in the past year and it’s this: We don’t know when we’re going to die,” Trebek said. “Because of the cancer diagnosis, it’s no longer an open-ended life, it’s a closed-ended life because of the terrible … survival rates of pancreatic cancer. Because of that, and something else that is operating here, people all over America and abroad have decided they want to let me know now, while I’m alive, about the impact that I’ve been having on their existence.”
Related: WATCH: Alex Trebek Recorded An Inspiring Thanksgiving Message Before His Death