Richard cohen age

Home / Health, Lifestyle & Body Facts / Richard cohen age

Kotb said Cohen was "surrounded by his family and love" when he died.

"Meredith did say that all of the kids came around Thanksgiving because they were concerned they were going to lose him early," Kotb said. And hanging out with them, they were like the most fun and entertaining, irreverent, cool couple you could hang out with."

Who was Richard M.

Cohen?

Cohen was a former Emmy-winning news producer for CBS News and CNN.

He wrote three books, including "Blindsided: Lifting a Life Above Illness: A Reluctant Memoir," "Strong at the Broken Places" and "I Want to Kill the Dog."

Cohen battled multiple sclerosis for more than 50 years after being diagnosed at age 25.

“I was diagnosed when I was 25 years old and essentially told there is no hope,” he said on "TODAY" in 2018.

What does it hold? Today show host Hoda Kotb shared with viewers that Cohen was “surrounded by his family and love” at the time of his death.

The family had been together at Thanksgiving, Kotb continued, telling viewers that they were “concerned” about losing him early. And I know that I want to spend more of mine with my husband, Richard, and my kids," she told audiences at the time.

“Because there are days I can’t stand it and the limitations it puts on the entire family.

“And she really didn’t blink.”

Vieira noted that MS “wasn’t enough” to scare her off.

She spoke candidly about her husband’s illness during a separate interview with Peoplethat same year, telling the publication that Cohen was “doing OK.” At the time, he was also declared legally blind.

“It’s a progressive illness, so you don’t know from day to day,” Vieira said.

richard cohen age

From 2014 to 2016, she hosted her own daytime talk show, "The Meredith Vieira Show."

Vieira was born in Providence and raised in East Providence. “And hanging out with them, they were like the most fun and entertaining, irreverent, cool couple you could hang out with.”

Related: Ned Fulmer, Christina Applegate and More Stars Battling Multiple Sclerosis

Christina Applegate, Selma Blair, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Jack Osbourne and many other celebrities have opened up about dealing with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease.

"Diagnosed and adios. He was 76.

Cohen, an Emmy Award-winning journalist who built his career as a producer at both CBS News and CNN, had lived for more than 50 years prior to his death with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system. You just sort of learn to accept that. He was 76.

Cohen died on Christmas Eve, Vieira's rep Michael Gantz confirmed to USA TODAY on Tuesday.

The Hudson Independent was the first to report the news. It was something he dreaded, but it’s been a blessing.”

Related: 'Today' Show Hosts React to Hoda Kotb's Surprising Exit

News of Hoda Kotb’s Today show exit is bittersweet for her cohosts. Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!

Beyond broadcast, Cohen wrote a health column for The New York Times and authored several books: one chronicling his own health battles and another spotlighting five different individuals dealing with chronic diseases.

What is MS?

Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a chronic condition that causes a breakdown of the nerves' protective coverings resulting in numbness and difficulty walking and seeing, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Left legally blind by MS, Cohen told Vieira about his illness on their second date, according to "Today."

"I told her about the illness, because I sort of learned the hard way to get it on the table.

The two got married in 1986.

“I told her about the illness, because I sort of learned the hard way to get it on the table,” Cohen said during a 2019 interview with Yahoo Life. Cohen was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis over 50 years ago, according to the "Today" show, and he survived two bouts of cancer.

Vieira and Cohen were married for nearly four decades and share three children: Benjamin, 36, Gabriel, 34, and Lily, 32.

Cohen was himself a journalist, winning three Emmy awards for his work at CBS News before moving to CNN.

He also spent time at both PBS and ABC.

"You don’t have to be controlled by it,” he told Yahoo Life in 2019 of MS. “I can give you a long list of things that I can’t do anymore. The disease is rarely fatal, and most people diagnosed with it have a normal life expectancy, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

TV & Streaming More

Go deeper with The Free Press

Meredith Vieira’s Husband Richard Cohen Dead at 76 Following 50-Year MS Battle

Meredith Vieira’s husband, Richard Cohen, died at age 76 following a battle with multiple sclerosis.

The Today show confirmed on Tuesday, January 7, that Cohen died on Christmas Eve after living with the disease for over 50 years.

Meredith Vieira's husband Richard Cohen dies after 50 year battle with multiple sclerosis

Richard M. Cohen, an Emmy award-winning journalist and the husband of Providence native Meredith Vieira, died Dec. 24 at the age of 76.

Vieira's former "TODAY Show" co-hosts Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie announced the news on air Tuesday morning.

Kotb said Cohen was "surrounded by his family and love" at the time of his death.

Vieira, who was born in Providence and raised in East Providence, and Cohen were married for 38 years and had three kids together.

"She's in really good spirits," Guthrie said of Vieira.

“He needs a walker, and since he’s been using it, he’s much stronger. Certainly he’s allowed to vent, because he’s got chronic illness. She graduated from the Lincoln School in 1971 and earned a bachelor's degree from Tufts University.

Former "Today" anchor Meredith Vieira's husband, Richard Cohen, died on Christmas Eve, the show's current hosts said Tuesday.

Nothing much we can do."

Sharing his health journey and speaking up for others became intertwined with Cohen's work, as his illness was a focal point of his 2004 autobiography, "Blindsided: Lifting a Life Above Illness: A Reluctant Memoir," as well as his later writing. But I am too,” she said.