Brayden Smith, a five-time “Jeopardy!” champion, has died at the age of 24.
Smith died on Friday, Feb. 5 in his hometown of Las Vegas, according to an obituary published in the Review-Journal on Friday. No cause of death was given.
“We are heartbroken to share that our dear Brayden Smith recently passed away unexpectedly,” his mother, Deborah Smith, wrote on Twitter. “We are so grateful that Brayden was able to live out his dream on ‘Jeopardy!’”
“The “Jeopardy!” family is heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brayden Smith,” the show said in its own statement. “He was kind, funny and absolutely brilliant. Our deepest condolences go out to Brayden’s family. He will be missed.”
During his run on the show, which came among Alex Trebek’s final episodes as host late last year, Smith won a total of $115,798. He was poised to return to the show for its regular “Tournament of Champions” bracket, in which multi-episode winners go head-to-head.
According to the obituary, Smith graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2020 with a degree in economics. He was planning to attend law school and pursue a career as a federal attorney. He is survived by his parents, Scott and Deborah Smith, and three brothers.
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