"Jeopardy" champion Brayden Smith has passed away at the age of 24.
Smith, the last five-time champion from the late Alex Trebek's era, died unexpectedly last Friday, February 5, according to TMZ.
The outlet notes that the cause of death remains unknown. He died in his hometown of Las Vegas.
"We are heartbroken to share that our dear Brayden Smith recently passed away unexpectedly," his mother, Deborah, shared on Twitter. "We are so grateful that Brayden was able to live out his dream on @jeopardy."
The game show's official Twitter account also remembered Smith, 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."
Smith will go down as one of the best contestants along with the likes of James Holzhauer. During his run, he walked away with more than $115,000.
He died about a month after his episodes, which were pre-taped before Trebek's death, aired in December 2020. Remembered on social media as "Alex's Last Great Champion," Smith had dreams of competing in the next Tournament of Champions, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.
Trebek, who passed away in November after losing his battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, was impressed with Smith's run and nicknamed him "Billy Buzzsaw" because of his ability to beat the competition.
Smith's family said that he recently graduated from UNLV with a degree in economics and was planning to attend law school and become a U.S. Attorney.
They requested that donations be made in Smith's name to a fund benefiting Nevada students and their ongoing education.
LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM App
Follow RADIO.COM
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
