Recent five times Danger! winner Brayden Smith died last week at just 24 years old. Fans were shocked by the development and stopped claiming details about his death, which according to a CBS Las Vegas station was caused by complications from surgery he underwent an undisclosed condition in the days before his death.
KLAS news station reported that the contestant christened “Billy Buzzsaw” by Trebek spent time in a southern Nevada hospital before his death, citing family sources. The point of sale did not specify the nature of the disease or the surgery. Smith’s mother, Debbie, announced the death of her son on Friday, thanking people for their support. “The outpouring of love for Brayden is overwhelming,” Debbie tweeted. “We can’t express how much our beautiful comments comfort us during this painfully sad moment. Thank you.”
He Las Vegas Review-Journal, who published Smith’s obituary, did not report a cause of death for the youth Danger! champion at the time of his death. The Nevada native graduated with a degree in economics from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2020 and intended to attend law school to become a federal government attorney.
Brayden Smith is considered Trebek’s “last great champion.” He earned more than $ 100,000 in his five appearances on the show. According to his obituary, Smith hoped to compete in the upcoming Champions Tournament. “The Champions Tournament has been my favorite tournament every year since I was little,” Smith said. “These people are kind of idols of my curiosity and knowing that I will be in the same metaphorical and literal setting they were in is really something special.”
The program released a statement after Smith’s death, offering condolences to his family. “The file JEOPARDIA! the family is heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brayden Smith. He was kind, funny and absolutely brilliant. Our deepest condolences are conveyed to the Brayden family. They will miss him, “the statement said.
Prior to his death, Smith conducted an interview with Danger! correspondent Sarah Whitcomb Foss. He talked about his time on the show and called it a whirlwind. “I just wanted to stay there as long as possible. It’s really a great feeling to be on set, to be around smart, nice, warm people,” Smith said.
Smith is survived by three brothers and parents Scott and Deborah Smith, as well as his maternal grandparents and paternal grandmother and aunts, uncles and cousins. Funeral arrangements are pending, but in the meantime, the family is asking for donations in memory of Smith to be made to the Brayden Smith Memorial Fund, “dedicated to fostering the educational aspirations of students in southern Nevada.”