The sad news of Alex Trebek’s stage 4 pancreatic cancer disclosure spread quickly Wednesday, the announcement falling like a hammer blow on fans of the long-time "Jeopardy!" host.

At 78-years of age, the Canadian-born Trebek isn’t the first moderator of the popular game-show, a production first created by Merv Griffin in 1964. But his 35-year tenure behind the podium has made him synonymous with the program. With his mellifluous voice and dignified demeanor, Trebek has become a steady and predictable presence on American television and those of us who are fans of the show have inevitably become fans of him.

I first began watching in high school, sometime in the late 1980s and it quickly became part of our family’s evening ritual. My Irish mother, worn weary with five kids and chronically late preparing dinner, would hustle us out of her hair and the kitchen and into the living room. While she would finish preparing the meal, my siblings and I, along with our dad, would watch “Jeopardy!” If we ever complained about hunger, my mother would admonish us to stop talking and start watching.

JEOPARDY!' HOST ALEX TREBEK SAYS HE’S BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH STAGE 4 PANCREATIC CANCER

“A little learning is a dangerous thing,” she would say, one of her oft-quoted phrases.

My mom would inevitably have completed dinner preparations by the end of “Double Jeopardy!” and just in time for the highly-anticipated final round. The show complete and the winner identified, we would happily return to the kitchen or dining room for dinner, everyone feeling just a little bit smarter than only 30 minutes earlier.

The outpouring of affection and empathy for Trebek is consistent with the compassion and generosity that ordinary Americans often exhibit for those facing physical or emotional trials. But I get the sense that the reaction to the announcement of his illness is a bit more acute than most, and here is why.

For the last 35 years we’ve welcomed Alex Trebek into our homes each evening and in the process, he’s become an extended member of our families. He’s been a good and interesting guest, too, presiding over discussions featuring fascinating subjects with wildly interesting and, at times, eccentric individuals. Well-mannered with seemingly high emotional intelligence, he possesses those intangible qualities of a good friend – he’s consistently candid – and he always leaves you feeling a little bit better at the end of his visit then you felt at the start.

During the summer between my freshman and sophomore years of college, one of my brothers and I attended an afternoon of tapings of the show at Hollywood Center Studios’ Stage 9 out in California. I recall being surprised at how small the set appeared in person as compared to what it looks like on television. I also smiled at the hydraulic platforms behind each contestant’s podium, allowing each person to appear identical in size, if not intelligence.

But what most impressed me that afternoon was Alex Trebek himself.

Warmly greeting the studio audience prior to the tapings, answering questions between programs, he was the everyman – easy-going but focused, good humored and when he fumbled a line, he grew visibly impatient with himself.

“If we expect the contestants to know the questions,” I recall him saying, “the least I can do is pronounce the answers correctly.”

Alex Trebek has vowed to continue hosting his show while simultaneously fighting the cancer, even joking that he has no choice but to beat it because he’s under contract until 2022.

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During his brief but very personal announcement, the Emmy-award winning host asked for the public’s prayers for the journey to come, a battle that many in his audience know all too well, whether personally or because someone they love has faced a similar diagnosis.

For the last 35 years, Trebek’s professional life has been framed by being the man with the answers. But during this next season marked by difficult medical treatments, the "Jeopardy!" host will inevitably be facing a trial filled with difficult questions, few clues and even fewer answers. As a fan, I offer my thanks to him for these many years of enjoyment and promise my prayers for the courageous battle to come.

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