More than two months after Alex Trebek's death, fans of Jeopardy! finally got the chance to say goodbye.
A video tribute to the host closed Friday’s episode of the quiz show, the final one that Trebek taped before pancreatic cancer claimed his life on Sunday, November 8.
The 90-second montage, set to Hugh Jackman singing the Peter Allen song Once Before I Go, is a lighthearted and laughter-filled remembrance showing Trebek's changing look through his 36 years as host, with moustache and without, with black hair and with grey, with suits from several decades.
It celebrated the wackier moments of the usually strait-laced Trebek, showing him verbally sparring with contestants and arm-wrestling with one.
“You really make me feel inadequate,” he tells a child contestant. “Sorry about that,” she sassily answers.
Trebek is shown walking on the set pants-less in one clip, dressed as the Statue of Liberty in another, and wearing the costume of a Trojan soldier in another.
A clip of the host declaring “I don't dance” is shown amid scenes of him dancing through the years.
The tribute is still plenty sad and sentimental, though, as Jackman sings “it’s so hard to say good-byes, when there’s so much that’s left unspoken in your eyes,” and “once before I go, I would like to let you know, that I would do it all again.”
And in its final moments it shows Trebek through signing off through the decades, repeatedly saying, “So long, everybody.”
Trebek died November 8, aged 80, but had pre-taped several weeks of shows that have continued to air. He kept working for nearly two years after his diagnosis with pancreatic cancer, remaining in place at the podium where he had become an institution since starting in 1984.
The show will continue next week with a series of interim hosts, starting with veteran Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings.
The week's final Trebek episodes began Monday with the host urging viewers to give to others who were suffering during the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’re trying to build a gentler, kinder society, and if we all pitch in just a little bit, we’re going to get there,” Trebek said.
His final shows were originally scheduled to air Christmas week, but they were put off until this week to give the send-off more exposure.
The episode includes holiday elements, like the category, “Christmas Movies."
In one of the last of the more than 500,000 clues Trebek delivered to contestants in his more than 8,200 episodes, he says:
“Basically, this heartwarming Frank Capra classic is about a disgraced financier having an incredibly rough Christmas Eve.”
The correct response: "What is It's a Wonderful Life?"
Trebek apparently wasn't certain that Friday's episode would be his last when it was recorded
The show's executive producer, Mike Richards, told NBC's Today show on Monday that Trebek was "an absolute warrior" in his last taping sessions, despite being in "enormous pain."
At the end of the episode, before the video tribute, Trebek says, “see you again next week.”
Scroll through the gallery below to see photos of Alex Trebek through the years:
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Host Alex Trebek with contestants on 'High Rollers' in 1978. Getty Images -
Betty White and Alex Trebek in Los Angeles, California, in 1986. Getty Images -
Alex Trebek and actress Zsa Zsa Gabor in 1983. Getty Images -
Alex Trebek poses in his home in Los Angeles, on July 7, 1988. AP Photo -
Alex Trebek as himself and John Ratzenberger as Cliff Clavin in a 'Cheers' episode called 'What is... Cliff Clavin?' in 1990. Getty Images -
Alex Trebek, Merv Griffin, creator of 'Jeopardy' and 'Wheel of Fortune', and Vanna White, hostess on 'Wheel of Fortune,' celebrate as they turn the switch on the Game Show Network on December 1, 1994 in California. Reuters -
'Jeopardy' host Alex Trebek with late night host Jay Leno during an interview on November 14, 1994. Getty Images -
Emmy Award-winning game show host Alex Trebek celebrates his newly dedicated star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, on May 17, 1999. AP Photo -
Alex Trebek poses as 'Jeopardy' is inducted into the 'Guinness Book of World Records' in Culver City, California, in 2005. Getty Images -
Television host Alex Trebek and actor Keanu Reeves attend the 33rd Annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race on April 18, 2009 in Long Beach, California. Getty Images -
Television hosts Pat Sajak and Alex Trebek accept the Lifetime Achievement Award during the 38th annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy Awards at the Las Vegas Hilton in Las Vegas, Nevada, on June 19, 2011. Reuters -
Alex Trebek and wife Jean Currivan Trebek arrive at the 38th annual Daytime Emmy Awards show in Las Vegas, Nevada, on June 19, 2011. AFP -
'Jeopardy!' host Alex Trebek speaks as he is inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Broadcasting Hall of Fame on April 9, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. AFP -
Alex Trebek gestures while presenting an award at the 46th annual Daytime Emmy Awards in Pasadena, California, on May 5, 2019. AP Photo -
Flowers are placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame star of TV host Alex Trebek in Los Angeles, California, on November 8, 2020. Reuters
