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Tributes are pouring in for Jeopardy! star Mattea Roach’s father Phillip Roach. Mattea addressed their father’s sudden death on Tuesday, May 23, on the Masters series and dedicated the episode to Phillip, which “might be my last game of the series.” Mattea, who uses the pronouns they/ them, said that their father was a “huge part of the reason” why they were on the show, given that he taught them Geography, Turner classic movies, and old music.
Mattea Roach was on the sets of Jeopardy! when they received the news that Phillip had died of a brain aneurysm. The Toronto resident revealed that it was the “worst day of my life” and thanked the Jeopardy! producers and other contestants for the support they gave them.
According to their tweets, the producers “moved mountains to make sure” that Mattea reached home for their family and returned to finish shooting the episode.
They added:
"My whole family is so thankful for everyone here at Jeopardy! for helping us through this really difficult time."
Host Jennings also got emotional and told Mattea that their father would have been very proud of them after seeing them play so well on the sets. Fans got very emotional and tweeted in support of Mattea, who was ranked second on the Masters show.
Jeopardy! fans pay condolences to Mattea Roach
In their first appearance, Mattea revealed that their “most prized possession” was a “denim jacket on extended loan” from their dad. Now, Roach said that the jacket was “on permanent loan.” Fans paid tribute to Phillip on Twitter and gave condolences to Mattea on her loss.
Phillip's obituary mentions his kids as the "greatest joy of his life"
Phillip passed away at his home in Halifax, Nova Scotia on May 2. As mentioned in his obituary, Phillip will be remembered for "his warmth and kindness which he displayed in equal measure to those he'd known for decades and those he'd just met."
His children were the “greatest joy of his life” and he passed all of his wisdom and enthusiasm to them, along with:
"Long lectures about local history, Trivial Pursuit beatdowns, and instruction in music and movies from before their time."
Mattea had thanked their parents last year after winning Jeopardy! 23 times in a row and attended a Kraftwerk concert with their dad, which they had been talking about for the past 10 years. Phillip himself has said in a CBC interview:
"It's a real pleasure to see a child succeed and just be joyful about what they're doing."
Mattea won 23 games in a row on Jeopardy! between April and May 2022, earning $560,983 in total. They have qualified for the 2024 Masters series after coming second in the 2023 championship.
