Artist completes Alex Trebek mural at Sudbury Secondary School

Artist Kevin Ledo has officially completed his mural of Alex Trebek, painted on a wall outside Sudbury Secondary School, which Trebek attended as a youth. (Amanda Harte/CTV News)

Sudbury — Artist Kevin Ledo has officially completed his mural of Alex Trebek, painted on a wall outside Sudbury Secondary School, which Trebek attended as a youth.

Ledo, working during the recent Up Here Festival in the city, described his work on his Instagram page.

"I choose to do a retro Alex Trebek, with a design pattern from the era, for a number of reasons," Ledo wrote. "It’s fun and playful to see the handsome local hero in his youth, sporting his most excellent style."

The 'retro' Trebek is also closer to the time when he lived in Sudbury, Ledo said.

"I’ve been joking around about how it’s a mural depicting the origin story of his once iconic mustache," he wrote. "I love '70s design and finally found a perfect outlet for it."

Trebek, who was born in Sudbury to a Ukrainian immigrant father and a French-Canadian mother, was the world-famous host of Jeopardy! for decades.

He was an Emmy Award-winner, a Guinness World Record-holder and an officer of the Order of Canada.

He passed away last Nov. 8 after battling Stage 4 pancreatic cancer since March 2019. He was 80 years old.

Ledo said creating the mural in Trebek's honour was a challenge.

"The brick was an insane challenge and the 10 days of sun and heat were taxing," he wrote. "Nonetheless, I had a great time and I’m very happy with the result ... It feels great to be painting murals again!"

Ledo also posted a video showing how the mural came together, starting with bare brick wall and ending with the completed picture.