The TODAY show has announced that Richard Cohen, the husband of former anchor Meredith Vieira, died on Christmas Eve at the age of 76 after a decades-long battle with multiple sclerosis (MS). Keep reading to learn about the pair’s relationship, Cohen’s career and journey with the autoimmune disease.
The ‘TODAY’ show announces the death of Richard Cohen
Hoda Kotb announced Cohen’s death with a tribute segment during Tuesday’s episode, where Cohen was described as someone who lived his life to the fullest and faced every challenge with a persistent sense of humor.
Kotb said Cohen was “surrounded by his family and love” when he died on December 24 after living with MS for 50 years. She added that Cohen’s children and grandchildren (including a new baby) gathered around Thanksgiving as they were concerned about losing Cohen sooner, but instead had what Vieira described as a “glorious” extra month.
Savannah Guthrie went on to say Vieira was in good spirits despite the loss, and the co-anchors expressed their love and well wishes to their friend and her family.
All about Richard Cohen and Meredith Vieira’s sweet life together
Cohen and Vieira both dedicated their careers to journalism. Cohen earned multiple Emmy Awards for his work as a producer covering politics and war with CBS News. Vieira is a broadcaster and television personality most known as an original host of The View (1997–2006), Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (2002–2013) and co-host of TODAY (2006–2011).
The pair wed in 1986 and shared three children: sons Benjamin, 36, Gabriel 34, and daughter Lily, 32.
Cohen was diagnosed with MS when he was 25 years old, and shared his prognosis with Vieira on their second date.
“I told her about the illness, because I sort of learned the hard way to get it on the table. And she really didn’t blink,” he told Yahoo Life.
“I’ve always been of the school of thought that you could get hit by a bus the next day, any one of us could,” Vieira explained. “It certainly wasn’t enough to scare me off,” she said of Cohen’s illness.
When Vieira left TODAY in 2011, she explained that she had decided to spend as much quality time as possible with Cohen and their family.
During the segment honoring Cohen, anchor Savannah Guthrie praised Vieira for being “such a beautiful and devoted wife” to Cohen, who she and Kotb emphasized “adored” his wife.
“They were the most fun, entertaining, irreverent, cool couple you could hang out with,” Guthrie said.
In a clip of a past appearance on TODAY by Vieira and Cohen, he shared that he and his wife both used humor “as a coping mechanism,” adding that “It’s really what helps get you through the day.”
Cohen’s MS experience and advocacy
When Cohen received his diagnosis, he said he was essentially told by doctors that there was “no hope.” He went on to become an advocate and author, sharing his health struggles with the public.
“I think too many people stay closed and don’t tell the truth,” he said on air with TODAY in 2014.
His 2004 autobiography, Blindsided: Lifting a Life Above Illness: A Reluctant Memoir, chronicled Cohen’s struggles and perseverance through chronic illness (included two separate instances of colon cancer) as well as the impact it had on his family.
Additionally, he wrote about contributing to the race for an MS cure in his 2018 memoir Chasing Hope: A Patient’s Deep Dive into Stem Cells, Faith, and the Future. The book
follows Cohen and Vieira through their 2012 endeavor to host and chair an adult stem cell conference at the Vatican, where scientists would be gathering to discuss stem cell therapy for autoimmune diseases such as MS.
“Richard Cohen struggles with failing limbs and is legally blind,” reads part of the book’s synopsis. “He has survived two bouts of colon cancer and a life-threatening blood clot in his lungs. After enduring decades of harsh treatments and invasive therapies, Cohen decided to trade in his life as a patient.”
