Jeopardy champion Brayden Smith has died. He was 24.
Smith was hailed as the “last great champion” before legendary host Alex Trebek died last year. He had a series of victories during Trebek’s final episodes.
Brayden Smith died on February 5 in Las Vegas according to an obituary published in the Las Vegas Review Journal. No cause of death was given, but he had been hospitalized for several days:
Brayden Andrew Smith passed away Friday morning, February 5, in Las Vegas, Nev. He was 24. Brayden attained a lifelong dream as a five-time champion on the popular Jeopardy! television game show. His appearances were among the last hosted by Alex Trebek, and Brayden was hailed on social media as “Alex’s Last Great Champion.” He was looking forward to competing in the show’s Tournament of Champions. A 2020 graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas with a degree in economics, Brayden intended to attend law school and become an attorney for the federal government.
His mother shared a touching tribute on Twitter on Friday:
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.
Wow, very upsetting. Just 24 years old, so young.
Donations in Brayden’s memory may be made to https://charitysmith.org/memorial-funds/brayden-smith-memorial-fund/