“Jeopardy! Masters” contestant Mattea Roach’s father, Phillip Roach, died on May 2 after suffering a brain aneurysm. He was 57.
Phillip passed away at his home in Halifax, Nova Scotia, when Mattea, 24, was scheduled to film the final episodes for the game show currently airing, according to Nova Scotia Buzz.
“Phil was known to his family and friends 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 obituary states.
“He was an especially generous host, and spent many hours in his kitchen over the years preparing elaborate multi-course meals that he would inevitably proclaim were ‘just okay.’ He was always wrong about this – they were delicious.”
But Phillip’s “greatest joy of his life” was raising his four kids — Mattea, Eamon, Cullen and Lachlan — whom he shared with his wife of 33 years, Patti MacKinnon.
“He endeavored to pass all his wisdom and enthusiasm for living down to them, through long lectures about local history, Trivial Pursuit beatdowns, and instruction in music and movies from before their time,” the obit said.
His loss comes as Mattea — who made waves with a 23-game winning streak on “Jeopardy” last year — is currently competing on “Jeopardy! Masters,” which stars six of the show’s brightest contestants facing off for a $500,000 grand prize.
Mattea has currently won two out of four games and is in third place behind competitors Andrew He and James Holzhauer.
The contestant, who identifies as queer and goes by the pronouns they/them, has yet to comment on their father’s passing but took to Instagram to celebrate their current successes on the show.
“me counting how many wins I have in Jeopardy Masters after five episodes… let’s see if I can get that number up,” they captioned a photo of themself holding up two fingers.
In the past, Mattea has spoken highly of their father and thanked their parents for supporting them throughout the competition.
“My parents have been so patient with me and so encouraging of my desire to learn from day one, and I’m so grateful for how well they dealt with being thrust into the spotlight as a result of my time on Jeopardy,” they tweeted in May 2022.
Phillip had also shared how proud he was of Mattea during an interview with CBC last year, TV Insider reported.
“[Mattea] was probably beginning to read when [they were] about 3,” he had said. “Just always showing an interest in, not necessarily academics, but learning for the joy.”
He also praised Mattea for representing the queer community.
“[They have] been recognized as being part of the LGBTQ community, so that’s giving visibility and perhaps inspiring kids to be who they are, just do their best, and good things will happen.”
A memorial service was held for Phillip at the Canadian Museum of Immigration last Friday.
