Courtney Shah, a seven-time Jeopardy! champion and history professor at Lower Columbia College in Longview, Washington, has died at 52 after a battle with brain cancer. She passed away at home on Tuesday morning, according to KLOG radio, which confirmed her death through the college where she had taught since 2007.

Shah's Jeopardy! run came in 2021, when she won seven consecutive games and amassed $118,558 in winnings, Deadline reported. The following year, she competed in the show's Tournament of Champions — an invitation-only event for the season's top players — and was eliminated in the quarterfinals.

Beyond the quiz show stage, Shah was a fixture in her community. She held a Ph.D. from the University of Houston and taught U.S. and World History at Lower Columbia College, a community college in southwestern Washington. She joined the faculty in 2007 and remained there for nearly two decades.

Her daughter shared the news of her death on July 22, 2026, King 5 reported. People magazine also confirmed the death on July 25 (People).

A celebration of life service is scheduled for August 10, from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., at the Rose Center for the Arts on the Lower Columbia College campus.

Shah is remembered by colleagues and students as a dedicated educator whose television appearance brought a teacher's breadth of knowledge to one of the most demanding quiz formats on American television. Seven wins places a contestant among the show's more accomplished players, and her Tournament of Champions berth placed her alongside the strongest competitors of her season.