Richard Cohen, veteran journalist and husband of former TODAY show anchor Meredith Vieira, passed away on Christmas Eve at age 76. Cohen, who lived with multiple sclerosis (MS) for more than five decades and survived two bouts of cancer, died surrounded by his family including Vieira and their three children.
The news was announced Tuesday on the TODAY show, where co-host Hoda Kotb shared that the family had spent a "glorious month" with Cohen after gathering for Thanksgiving, initially concerned about his declining health.
Cohen was diagnosed with MS at age 25 and was remarkably open about his condition, even sharing it with Vieira on their second date. "I told her about the illness because I learned the hard way to get it on the table," Cohen recalled in a 2019 interview. Vieira's response reflected her practical outlook: "You could get hit by a bus the next day. It certainly wasn't enough to scare me off."
The couple married in 1986 and had three children: Benjamin, 36, Gabriel, 34, and Lily, 32. Throughout their 38-year marriage, they faced Cohen's health challenges together, using humor and honesty to cope. Cohen's MS eventually left him legally blind, and he also battled colon cancer twice and a lung blood clot.
As a former CBS News journalist, Cohen became an advocate for those living with chronic illness and authored several books about his experiences. In his 2018 memoir "Chasing Hope," he emphasized how chronic illness affects entire families: "Spouses have the burden of tending to the needs of a loved one... they should not be treated as spectators when they are in the ring with us."
The impact of Cohen's health influenced Vieira's career decisions. In 2011, she stepped down from her role as TODAY show co-anchor to spend more time with her family, noting that "time is one of those weird things. You can never get enough of it, and it just keeps ticking away."
Despite his challenges, Cohen maintained an optimistic outlook, writing in his memoir about his desire to maintain "a long-term relationship with hope." His legacy includes not only his journalism career but also his advocacy and candid discussions about living with chronic illness.