Alex Trebek's Cause of Death Linked to Former 'Jeopardy!' Host Art Fleming; Eerie Similarities Explored
Alex Trebek and Art Fleming had an unwanted connection aside from being the previous hosts of "Jeopardy!"
Before Trebek spearheaded the show in 1984, Fleming helmed the first version of "Jeopardy!" from 1964 to 1975. The stint caused him to garner the nickname "Original host of Jeopardy!" through the years.
Like him, Trebek held onto the show for a long time. The only difference was that the 80-year-old game master became part of it for a longer time.
Aside from hosting the show, the two share a hair-raising connection that nobody has noticed until now.
For what it's worth, both Trebek and Fleming suffered and died due to pancreatic cancer. Fleming died of the rare disease in April 1995, while Trebek passed away due to the same condition last year.
It was still a shocking coincidence, although more and more Hollywood stars died because of cancer. It is worth noting that only 50,000 people a year are diagnosed with that type of cancer.
According to the National Cancer Institute, rare cancers, like pancreatic cancer, only affect 15 out of 100,000 people. Pancreatic cancer, to be exact, only affects 13 out of 100,000, making it incredibly rare.
Alex Trebek, Art Fleming's Pancreatic Cancer Journey
Trebek only lived for months after he initially announced he had stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
On the show's official YouTube account, the longtime game show host revealed his diagnosis to the viewers.
"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," he said.
Sony Pictures Television chairman Mike Hopkins offered support to the host at that time, especially since the disease has a low survival rate.
Per the American Cancer Society, Trebek's type of cancer only has a 9 percent survival rate in five years. He, unfortunately, died on November 8 after losing his dreaded battle.
Meanwhile, Fleming died in 1995 due to the same rare disease. He was still able to be part of several shows and flicks before his death, including "Airplane II."
After losing them, "Jeopardy!" has found a new host and hailed Mayim Bialik as the first woman to ever host the show permanently.
