Trebek died on Saturday morning, 18 months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. A stoic to the end, he taped his last Jeopardy! shows on October 29th — just nine days before his death. (Richards told the Today show that Trebek’s fortitude that day was “maybe the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen.”) The show says that it has 35 more Trebek-hosted episodes lined up, with the last set to air on December 25th.
The tribute is very well done by Richards, who’s in his first season with the show. It’s both heartfelt and a triumph of the quality production that the show is known for: the dramatic empty set, the slow camera push-in, the lights dimming at the end, and “This… is Jeopardy!” A professional send-off for a true showbiz pro. Salute!