"Jeopardy!" icon Alex Trebek has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, he announced on Wednesday in video message.

The TV veteran opened the video by telling his fans that he wanted to be open with them and "transparent with our Jeopardy! fan base."
"I also wanted to prevent you from reading or hearing some overblown or inaccurate reports regarding my health. So therefore, I wanted to be the one to pass along this information," he said. "Now, just like 50,000 other people in the United States each year, this week I was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer."
Alex went on to detail the prognosis, acknowledging that it's typically rather grim.
"Normally, the prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but I'm going to fight this, and I'm going to keep working," he said. "And with the love and support of my family and friends and with the help of your prayers also, I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease."

The always affable Alex couldn't help but crack a joke, indicating he is all-but required to beat the disease, "because under the terms of my contract, I have to host Jeopardy! for three more years! So help me. Keep the faith and we'll win. We'll get it done. Thank you."
Alex has been hosting the popular game show since 1984.
He has had health scares before, as he took a medical leave last year after suffering from a fall, forcing him to have surgery for blood clots on his brain. He also suffered mild heart attacks in 2007 and 2012.
See his announcement below: