Ken Jennings Touched By The ‘Special Gift’ Alex Trebek’s Wife Gave Him On His 1st Day As ‘Jeopardy!’ Guest Host

Monday marked the one year anniversary of the death of the much beloved”Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek, who tragically lost his battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 80 on November 8, 2020. One year later, the iconic “Jeopardy!” champion Ken Jennings is remembering Trebek as he prepares to guest host the popular game show.

Ken Jennings Misses Alex Trebek ‘A Lot’

“I miss Alex a lot,” Ken Jennings said from the set of “Jeopardy!” “When I’m here, I feel like he’s probably in the building somewhere. It’s hard not to talk about him in the present tense.”

Jennings went on to reveal how Trebek’s widow Jean made sure that he felt welcome as a guest host. 

“The first day I came in to guest host was just a few weeks after Alex had passed and it was a really rough time,” Jennings admitted. “I got to the studio and one of the producers handed me a little box and Alex’s wife, Jean, had given me a pair of his cuff links that he had worn on the show. What a lovely gesture that was from Jean.”

Ken Jennings Touched By Gift From Alex Trebek’s Wife Jean

Jennings was touched that Jean would take the time to be so kind in what was a very difficult moment in her own life.

“You know, at a time that was very hard for her family, dealing with a lot of grief and a lot of challenges, she thought about ‘Jeopardy!’ and she thought about me, a person she had never even met,” he said. “And I just thought, ‘What a lovely thing to do.’ She’s fantastic.”

“My Alex Trebek cuff links are the only cuff links I own,” he added. “They’re kind of a good luck charm for me here.”

You can watch Ken Jennings warm tribute to Alex and Jean Trebek in the video below.

Related: Alex Trebek’s Wife Shocked To Learn He Was A Literal ‘Icon’ – He Was Just Her ‘Most Beloved Friend’

Jean Honors Her Husband Alex Trebek 

Jean honored her husband on the anniversary of his passing by sharing a video to Instagram that Alex Trebek had filmed for The Compassion Project shortly before his death.

In the video, Trebek called on fans to support the organization, which aims to help children learn “empathy and compassion for their classmates.”

“My beloved husband passed away one year ago… one of his final messages was that of the importance of having compassion for each other,” Jean wrote in the caption. “In honor of Alex’s beautiful and powerful life, please take a moment to watch this short video.”

Related: Jean Trebek Remembers Alex In First Interview Since ‘Jeopardy!’ Host’s Death

It’s hard to believe that Trebek has been gone a full year, as he is still dearly missed by millions of fans from all over the globe.

There really will never be anyone else like Alex Trebek.