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WATCH: Vanna White Remembers ‘Dear Friend’ Alex Trebek: ‘He Was Always So Special’

Longtime friend Vanna White of Wheel of Fortune fame remembers her “dear friend” Alex Trebek on Good Morning America with an emotional tribute.

Few in the entertainment industry knew Jeopardy!’s Alex Trebek for longer than Vanna White. Two of the biggest names in television history, these two staples of American gameshows go way back, and shared a deep friendship that lasted a full generation.

Speaking to Good Morning America, Wheel of Fortune‘s Vanna White opens up on her “dear friend” after his passing.

“I have known Alex since 1980. He’s one of the first [people] I met when I moved to Los Angeles,” White begins of her late friend.

As for how the two met?

Together, she adds, the two would bond over “game show run-throughs, way before Wheel of Fortune.” White and Trebek built their careers and friendships congruently, both eventually landing major roles on gameshows within the Sony Pictures family. While White partnered with Pat Sajak on Wheel of Fortune, Alex Trebek would go on to host Jeopardy for 36 years before his passing.

“He was always so special. And we’ve, of course, traveled all over together. Being part of Sony, you know, we’re one big family. We’re family on screen and off screen,” she continues of their decades-long friendship.

“He is just truly missed, and what an incredible man he was.” Incredible, indeed.

The beloved Jeopardy! host led “America’s Gameshow” for half his entire lifetime: from 1984 all the way up to just months ago in 2020. That same year, Trebek would announce he was battling pancreatic cancer. While initially optimistic, he tragically lost his battle with the disease at age 80 on November 8, 2020.

Vanna White Remembers Alex Trebek on ‘Good Morning America’

As for the fate of Jeopardy! itself, Trebek’s final episode airs tonight. Moving forward, another friend of White and Trebek’s – television hall-of-famer Katie Couric – is set to host Jeopardy! as the next interim host. Before her, Jeopardy!’s megastar contestant, Ken Jennings, another dear friend of Trebek, did the same.

White’s emotional tribute comes just hours after Jeopardy! Released Their Beautiful Tribute Video for Alex Trebek Ahead of His Final Episode.

You can watch Vanna’s commentary on her dear friend below after the 2:40 mark as part of her interview with Good Morning America.

White pays tribute to the “Jeopardy” host and talks about “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune.”

Good Morning America

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