The late television icon Alex Trebek just got a fitting tribute in his hometown of Sudbury, a few hours' drive north of Toronto.
After losing a 20-month battle with pancreatic cancer in November, Trebek’s subsequent fade from the airwaves has resonated around the world, hitting even harder in the veteran game show host’s birthplace of the Big Nickel.
Best known for a 37-year stint as the host of Jeopardy!, Trebek spent his formative years in Sudbury, attending Sudbury High School since renamed Sudbury Secondary School.
On the exterior of this very school, artist Kevin Ledo has created a gorgeous three-storey mural paying tribute to the locally-born star.
Styled in colourful 1970s pastels and framed by the curved square outline of a classic cathode-ray tube television, the mural depicts Trebek in his prime, its imagery harkening back to the golden era of weeknight game shows.
"When I was researching images to represent Alex Trebek in a mural, I came across so many eras in his life. There are numerous images of him from the 70s that I just loved, and it inspired me to go all out on a retro design," Ledo tells blogTO.
"I definitely watched Jeopardy! a lot more when I was younger. It has just been around my whole life, and so has Alex Trebek. For me, he is a symbol of knowledge and learning, and in a fun way."
Ledo worked for 90 hours across ten days, using brushes and rollers to carefully apply wall paint to the brick facade. A video on Ledo's Instagram details the process.
Trebek just might have become a Canadian TV icon for very different reasons than his career on US game shows.
Shortly after his passing, it was revealed that Trebek was in the running for what could have been a memorable role on Hockey Night in Canada back in 1971. He was ultimately passed over because the producer did not want a host with a mustache. Not wanting a mustached host in 1971 seems a bit limiting, no?
Trebek may be gone, but his densely mustached likeness will continue to smile over Sudbury through Ledo’s art.
In the meanwhile, Jeopardy! has been in turmoil since Trebek's passing. Attempts to fill his shoes have landed the show in hot water, with controversy threatening to tarnish the show's legacy.
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