Meredith Vieira’s husband Richard Cohen, 76, dies after MS battle

Richard Cohen, the husband of former TODAY anchor Meredith Vieira, died on Christmas Eve at the age of 76.

Cohen lived with multiple sclerosis for more than 50 years and survived a few cancer diagnoses. He and Vieira were married for 38 years and have three children.

Cohen was a veteran journalist who worked for CBS News. He was also diagnosed with MS at a young age.

“I was diagnosed when I was 25 years old and basically I was told there is no hope,” he said while appearing on TODAY with Vieira in 2018.

“Diagnosed and adios. We can’t do much,” he added.

Cohen wrote several books about his health and advocated for people living with chronic illness.

“I think too many people are shutting up and not telling the truth,” he told TODAY in 2014.

Cohen told Vieira about his diagnosis on their second date.

“I told her about the disease because I kind of learned the hard way to get it on the table. And she really didn’t blink,” he told Yahoo Life.

Recalling that moment, Vieira told the outlet: “I’ve always been of the mindset that you could get hit by a bus the next day, which any of us could. It certainly wasn’t enough to scare me away.”

The couple had sons Ben and Gabe and daughter Lily. When Vieira left TODAY in 2011, she said she wanted to spend more time with Cohen and their children.

“Time is one of those strange things. You can never have enough of it and it just keeps ticking away. And I know I want to spend more of mine with my husband, Richard, and my children ,” she said.