Five time “Jeopardy!” winner Brayden Smith has died.
Smith, who had his winning streak near the end of Alex Trebek’s final episodes, died on Feb. 5 at 24-years-old. He was hailed on social media as “Alex’s Last Great Champion”.
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His mom, Debbie Smith, shared the sad news on Twitter, writing, “We are heartbroken to share that our dear Brayden Smith recently passed away unexpectedly.”
She added, “We are so grateful that Brayden was able to live out his dream on @jeopardy.”
We are heartbroken to share that our dear Brayden Smith recently passed away unexpectedly. We are so grateful that Brayden was able to live out his dream on @jeopardy. pic.twitter.com/e5x18xGcxV
— Debbie Smith (@debbieinlv) February 12, 2021
No cause of death was given.
“Jeopardy!” also paid tribute to Smith, adding, “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 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. https://t.co/aFQRt6KzPc
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) February 12, 2021
According to his obituary, Smith was looking forward to being able to compete in “Jeopardy!”‘s Tournament of Champions.
He was also “a voracious reader and autodidact, a lover of knowledge and an advocate for justice. His room was bursting with books on political science, philosophy, economics and history.”
Smith was planning on becoming an attorney for the federal government after attending law school. He already held a degree in economics from the University of Nevada and was an intern “with the prestigious Cato Institute in Washington, D.C., where he researched criminal justice reform issues.”
Smith is survived by his parents, Scott and Debbie, and three brothers, Bryce, 26, Brock, 18, and Brody, 15.
His family has set up the Brayden Smith Memorial Fund in his honour to support “the educational aspirations of southern Nevada students” and is asking for donations in lieu of flowers.
