Long-time ‘Jeopardy!’ host Alex Trebek has taken to YouTube to post a message to fans informing them that he underwent brain surgery to remove blood clots over the Christmas break, and that he’ll be taking an extended rest from the show.

The 77 year old Canadian-American presenter, who has presented the syndicated game show ‘Jeopardy!’ since it was revived way back in 1984, took to YouTube in order to make the announcement.

“I had a slight medical problem - subdural hematoma - blood clots on the brain caused by a fall I endured about two months ago,” Trebek told his fans on Thursday (January 4th). He has spent two days in hospital recovering from the surgery, and has now returned home to continue his recuperation. His prognosis is said to be “excellent”.

Alex TrebekAlex Trebek has presented 'Jeopardy!' for 34 years

Trebek had been admitted to Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles on December 15th, and was operated on the next day. He returned home on the 18th for the holidays.

More: Alex Trebek breaks a Guinness World Record for hosting ‘Jeopardy!’ episodes [archive]

NBC News reported the same day that taping of ‘Jeopardy!’ has been postponed until Trebek recovers, which producers Sony Pictures Entertainment anticipate will be by the middle of January.

The ever-popular show’s broadcast schedule will not be affected by the postponement, as filming takes places several months beforehand. The only thing that will be affected will be the date of the College Championship, which Deadline claims is supposed to be filming right now. Instead, that programme will film in March and be broadcast in April.

Back in 2014, Trebek posted a Guinness World Record for the ‘most episodes ever hosted by the same presenter’, presenting the 6,795th episode. He is currently contracted to be the presenter of ‘Jeopardy!’ until 2020.

More: ‘Jeopardy!’ star Julia Collins finally loses after $400k winning streak [archive]