LOS ANGELES – "Jeopardy" host Alex Trebek is out of the hospital and plans to spend the holidays at home with his family as he recovers from a heart attack.
"I'm truly overwhelmed by the great show of support and compassion expressed in the past few days to me, my family and my co-workers," Trebek said Saturday after his release from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, in a statement relayed by "Jeopardy" publicist Jeff Ritter.
"Even though I know 'Jeopardy' is a very popular program, I was still surprised at the number of people who took time from their schedules to call or send a note of encouragement," Trebek said.
Trebek, 67, was hospitalized Monday night after being stricken with what Ritter said was a minor heart attack.
The game show host promised to return to the "Jeopardy" studio on Jan. 14 to tape the program's "Teen Tournament." In the meantime, he said, enough episodes were taped before he was hospitalized so that people who tune in over the holidays are still seeing new shows.
"Jeopardy has been one of television's top-rated syndicated programs for more than 20 years. The Canadian-born Trebek has been its host since 1984.
He has been nominated for daytime Emmy Awards for game show host and has won twice, most recently in 2006.
Trebek, who holds a philosophy degree from the University of Ottawa, was a TV and radio reporter for the Canadian Broadcasting Company before moving to the United States. He became a U.S. citizen in 1998.
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