Alex Trebek, the Canadian-born host of Jeopardy, is out of the hospital after suffering a minor heart attack on Monday.

"I'm truly overwhelmed by the great show of support and compassion expressed in the past few days to me, my family and my coworkers," Trebek said Saturday in a statement released after he left Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Game show host Alex Trebek, seen here in October, is out of hospital after suffering a heart attack Monday.
(Peter Kramer/Associated Press)

The 67-year-old host, who has fronted the program since 1984, expressed his astonishment at the show of support.

"Even though I know Jeopardy is a very popular program, I was still surprised at the number of people who took time from their schedules to call or send a note of encouragement."

According to the statement, Trebek is planning to spend the holidays at home with his family and will return to the Jeopardy studio on Jan. 14 to tape the program's "Teen Tournament."

There are enough pre-taped episodes to carry the show through the Christmas period and into the new year.

Trebek, who was born in Sudbury, Ont., and holds a philosophy degree from Ottawa, has won two daytime Emmy Awards for game show host, most recently in 2006.

He was a reporter for the CBC and also hosted Reach for the Top before moving to the United States to pursue his career. Trebek became a U.S. citizen in 1998.

With files from the Associated Press