Jeopardy! champ Brayden Smith, otherwise known as "Alex's Last Great Champion," passed away on February 5 and more details of the tragic loss have been revealed.
As per a local CBS station in his Las Vegas hometown, Smith had undergone surgery for an undisclosed condition days prior to his sudden passing. He was 24. Family members told KLAS that he died following compilation from the procedure, which took place at a Southern Nevada facility. Neither outlets have confirmed the nature of his illness or surgery. He is survived by his parents, Scott and Debbie, and three brothers.
On Friday, Smith's mother, Debbie, took to Twitter to share the sad news. "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," she wrote. The parents will be honor their son with a nonprofit called the Brayden Smith Memorial Fund to help pay for the education of aspiring students in their community who want to dream big like their son.
Jeopardy! followed up her sentiments with their own statement, writing, "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."
If you’re an avid Jeopardy! viewers, you know that Smith earned more than $115,000 during his five-day winning streak on the show. His final appearance took place during one of the late Alex Trebek's last episodes, which was filmed in October and aired on January 6.
Photo: YouTube/Jeopardy