Richard Cohen, the husband of former Today host Meredith Vieira, passed away on Christmas Eve at the age of 76 after living with multiple sclerosis (MS) for more than 50 years and surviving two cancer diagnoses.
Current Today host Hoda Kotb announced Cohen’s death on Tuesday, Jan. 7, noting he was “surrounded by his family and love” at the time of his passing. His and Vieira’s three children, Lily, Gabriel, and Benjamin, were all present.

Kotb shared that the family had been together around Thanksgiving and were “concerned they were going to lose him early.”

“Instead, they got a glorious month with their dad,” Kobt stated.

Fellow Today host Savannah Guthrie further revealed Vieira is in “really good spirits” following Cohen’s death.She was such a beautiful and devoted wife to Richard, and he adored Meredith,” Guthrie continued. “And hanging out with them, they were like the most fun and entertaining, irreverent, cool couple you could hang out with.”

Cohen and Vieira were married for 38 years. Cohen was diagnosed with MS when he was just 25. He famously revealed to Vieira that he had chronic disease during their second dateI told her about the illness because I sort of learned the hard way to get it on the table,” he explained during a 2019 interview with Yahoo Life. “And she really didn’t blink.”

“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 also stated. “It certainly wasn’t enough to scare me off.”Meredith Vieira’s Husband, Richard Cohen, Shared More Details About the MS Battle In His 2018 Memoir

In his 2018 memoir, Chasing Hope: A Patient’s Deep Dive Into Stern Cells, Faith, and the Future, Cohen opened up about his MS battle and how it impacted his loved ones.

“Chronic illness is a family affair,” he explained. “Spouses have the burden of tending to the needs of a loved one, even when they would secretly rather push him out a window. I knew they should not be treated as spectators when they are in the ring with us.”

Cohen also stated that he had a “long-term relationship” with hope.

“Making that intimate connection is a challenge,” he wrote. “For many years, I pushed hope aside, labeling it a crutch. In my research for Chasing Hope, smart people made the case for hope. They came from different places, but all had found the promised land. I decided I could use a little bit of the stuff. Perhaps I need a lot.”