Brayden Smith death: Jeopardy! champion dies ‘unexpectedly’ at the age of 24

Death of quiz show winner follows death of Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek in November

Brayden Smith, the five-time Jeopardy! champion, has died “unexpectedly” at the age of 24.

Smith was the final champion on the long-running US game show while it was still hosted by Alex Trebek, who died of pancreatic cancer in November.

In a statement posted to her Twitter, Smith’s mother Debbie wrote: “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.”

In a further tweet, Debbie Smith thanked her son’s fans for celebrating his life.

“The outpouring of love for Brayden is overwhelming,” she wrote. “We can’t express how much your beautiful comments are comforting us during this painfully sad time. Thank you.”

Read more: Alex Trebek appears in first of final Jeopardy! episodes with posthumous message of hope

Smith, from Las Vegas, died 5 February. A cause of death has yet to be announced.

Smith became a viral sensation last year after winning $117,798 (£85,101) on Jeopardy!, with his last appearance on the series occurring during Trebek’s final week on air. The episodes were recorded a month before Trebek’s death, and finally broadcast in January.

Jeopardy! winner Brayden Smith, who has died at 24 (Sony Pictures Television)

According to a family obituary written by Smith’s family, he had been interning at Washington’s Cato Institute, and had plans to attend law school.

In January, Smith said that he was overjoyed about competing on Jeopardy!, saying in a video for the show: “I’m just glad that we were able to do it and I’m glad I was able to show what I was capable of.”