Journalist and former Jeopardy! champ Eric Berman has died. He was 60 years old.
The reporter, who won four episodes of the popular quiz show series in July 1987, passed away after a 19-year long battle with cancer. His death was announced by 93 WIBC, his former place of work.
On Jeopardy!, he walked away from the show with $37,101 (which would be about $106,000 today) and two his & hers Daniel Mink Cobra Collection watches, according to the show’s fansite J-Archive. He was ousted after incorrectly answering a Final Jeopardy question about the Kennedy Center.
Later that year, he would return for the show’s Tournament of Champions, where he made it to the semi-finals before losing to eventual winner Bob Verini.
Berman also competed in several national trivia tournaments and the recent 2024 TV adaptation of Trivial Pursuit, where he won $20,000.
Outside of trivia knowledge, Berman was a dedicated reporter. He worked for radio station 93 WIBC in Indianapolis for 28 years. He was laid off in 2022 after the station was bought out by the corporation Radio One. After his departure, he worked for the Indiana State Medical Association as a communications director.
Fellow reporter Niki Kelly posted a tribute to him on Twitter/X.
“Devastated to learn that former Statehouse Press Corps reporter Eric Berman died this morning. A truly kind person with a thirst for knowledge (he was a Jeopardy champ). He will be sorely missed,” she wrote.
He is survived by his wife, Christine, and his son, Christian.
