After seeing her in a recent clip, JEOPARDY! fans remembered the late player Cindy Stowell, who died of cancer.
The Texas woman was on Jeopardy! in 2016, but she died a few days before her episode aired because of complications from colon cancer.
To honor the birthday of announcer Johnny Gilbert, Jeopardy! posted a clip from Cindy’s episode on Instagram on Saturday.
Late host Alex Trebek was in the video, and Johnny, 98, read the clues.
Others paid tribute to Cindy and Alex, who died at age 80 from pancreatic cancer, in the comments. Some fans wished Johnny a happy birthday.
One fan wrote, “Rip both Cindy and Alex.”
An additional fan wrote, “Happy Birthday Johnny and RIP Cindy and Alex as well.”
“Cindy was unique,” said a third fan.
The same video was shared on TikTok, where fans kept commenting.
A person wrote, “Rest in peace, Alex and Cindy.”
Please rest in peace.
It was in 2016 that Cindy went on Jeopardy! while she was fighting cancer.
CBS News says her dream was to be on the game show before she died and give the money she won to groups that help people with cancer.
She told production in a letter that she had been diagnosed with cancer.
“Do you have any idea how long it usually takes between the interview and the recording scheduled date?” I’m asking because I heard recently that I won’t have long to live. She wrote, “The doctor thinks it will be about six months.”
There’s a chance I could still record episodes of Jeopardy! If I won, I’d like to do that and give any money I win to… charities that work on cancer research. If that quick of a turnaround time is not likely to happen, I’d like to give up my tryout spot to someone else.
As soon as possible, she would be booked for a taping if she did well in her audition.
The contestant, a creator of science content, passed away eight days before her show aired.
Alex made a statement at the time about her death.
“When Cindy Stowell recorded her Jeopardy! performance, Alexander said, “She had Stage 4 cancer.”
Cindy wanted to be on Jeopardy! for a long time, and we’re glad she was able to make her dream come true. Cindy died on December 5, which was sad. May her family and friends feel better and know that we are sorry for her loss.
“Cindy came on Jeopardy to play the game she loved, and in the process she was able to help cancer research so that no one else would have to go through what she did,” said Greg Stowell, Carole Stowell, and Cindy Hess, who has been dating Kevin for a long time.
HONOUR TO TREBEK
Alexander passed away in 2020 after a long illness with pancreatic cancer.
Ever since he stopped hosting, the show has paid tribute to him many times.
It was announced in June 2023 that the longtime host would be on a Forever Stamp.
Fans were thrilled about the news, but some thought the stamp could have used more depth.
At that point, the US Postal Service said that Alex would be on the newest Forever Stamp.
His replacement, Ken Jennings, showed off the award on a game show.
They have a clue on the stamps that says, “This naturalized U.S. citizen hosted the game show Jeopardy! for 37 seasons.”
The answer is written below, but it is upside down and in the style of the show: “Who is Alex Trebek?”
Fans argued about the design of the stamp on Reddit, with some not liking how it looked.
If you look closely, you can see that Alex is on the stamp sheet, but not on the stamps themselves.
“Okay, it’s great Alex Trebek is being honored with a stamp, but it’s got to be one of the most boring stamps in US Postal History,” someone wrote.
“Alex only shows up on the pane; the stamp itself is a Jeopardy!-style clue about him.”
“This seems more like a stamp commemorating the Jeopardy! 60th Anniversary than Alex himself,” said they.
“Since most people will only ever encounter this stamp when they see it on their mail, I agree that it would have been nice for him to actually appear on the stamp itself,” a friend said.
“That said, his name is there and it’s about him and at the end of the day, it is a nice honour for him to receive,” a third fan said.
Others liked the stamps but thought they would have been better with a different clue.
Another person on social media said, “Also, there isn’t any variety; every stamp is the same clue lol, but still, amazing honor.”