The “Jeopardy” champion was hospitalized for several days at a Southern Nevada hospital before he died on Feb. 5. No cause of death has been given.
“The JEOPARDY! family is heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brayden Smith. He was kind, funny and absolutely brilliant. Our deepest condolences go out to Brayden’s family. He will be missed,” the show said.
The show posted a video interview with the champion in January where he expressed his joy at being on the show and his love for Trebek.
“’Jeopardy!’ is so much better than anything that I could have even imagined,” he said. “Every moment since I was last on the studio live has been a moment that I’ve been wanting to get back on there.”
“I’m just glad we were able to do it, and I was glad that I was able to show what I was capable of,” he said. “Every moment I was there that I moved from the third lectern to the champion’s lectern, I wanted to stay there as long as possible.”
“Everybody knows that he (was) ailing,” he said of Trebek. “To put on a brave face and go out there every day and continue to give America and the world some good cheer, especially this year, is really a testament to how great of a person he was.”
