Sad news came today from the world of television, Meredith Vieira’s husband Richard Cohen passed away.
Well, this news was shared this morning Today show, where Meredith served as anchor from 2006 to 2011.
Hosts Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie revealed that Cohen died on Christmas Eve.
A clearly emotional Kotb said he was “surrounded by family and love” in his final hours.
Kotb said that when the family gathered for Thanksgiving, Vieira and Cohen’s three adult children, Benjamin, Gabriel and Lily, “were worried they would lose her early”.
They were reportedly able to take some solace from the fact that he stayed through the holiday season.
“He had a wonderful month with his dad,” he said.
Richard Cohen’s cause of death
Cohen died after a 50-year battle with multiple sclerosis.
According to Page Six, he was diagnosed at age 25, long before he met Vieira.
Richard reportedly opened up about his health struggles on their second date. The couple married in 1986.
fights of his life
In addition to his battle with MS, Cohen defeated colon cancer twice – first in 1999 and again in 2000.
He wrote about his illnesses and the support he received from Vieira in his 2018 memoir, Pursuing Hope: A Patient’s Insight into Stem Cells, Faith, and the Future,
“Spouses bear the burden of meeting a loved one’s needs, even when they quietly push them out the window,” she wrote.
“I knew they shouldn’t be treated like spectators when they’re in the ring with us,” he said.
Meredith and Richard were in the ring together for almost 40 years of marriage. And we are sure she will continue to fight for the issues she cares about so deeply.
Our thoughts are with Richard’s loved ones during this extremely difficult time.