Richard Cohen, Meredith Vieira's Husband, Dies at 76 — His Cause of Death Revealed

Veteran journalist Richard Cohen, husband of TV host Meredith Vieira, has passed away. The Today Show confirmed the heartbreaking news on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025.

He was 76 years old.

Longtime Today co-host Hoda Kotb told viewers that Richard was "surrounded by his family and love" at the time of his passing.

So, what happened? Here's everything you need to know about the cause of Richard Cohen's death.

During the January 7 episode of Today, the hosts revealed that former CBS/CNN producer Richard Cohen passed away on Christmas Eve after a brief battle with pneumonia. Richard lived with multiple sclerosis (MS) for over 50 years and fought off colon cancer twice.

Hoda Kotb shared that Richard's family — including his wife Meredith Vieira and their three children, Lily, Gabriel, and Benjamin — had gathered together for Thanksgiving and had been "concerned" about losing him sooner.

"Instead, they got a glorious month with their dad," Hoda said.

Fellow co-host Savannah Guthrie added that Meredith has been "in really good spirits" following Richard's death: "She was such a beautiful and devoted wife to Richard and he adored Meredith," she added. "And hanging out with them, they were like the most fun and entertaining, irreverent, cool couple you could hang out with."

Richard was diagnosed with MS in 1973, at just 25 years old. The chronic neurological disease took a severe toll on him, ultimately leaving him legally blind and impairing his vocal cords, arms, and legs.

In 2018, he appeared on Today with his wife, Meredith, and shared how, when he was first diagnosed, he was "essentially told there is no hope." He recalled, "Diagnosed and adios. Nothing much we can do."

A passionate advocate for those living with chronic illness, Richard wrote several books about his journey. In his 2018 memoir Chasing Hope: A Patient's Deep Dive into Stem Cells, Faith, and the Future, Richard reflected on the impact MS had not only on him but on his loved ones.

"Chronic illness is a family affair," he wrote. "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."

In addition to battling the relentless symptoms of MS, Richard survived colon cancer twice and a blood clot in his lung.

Despite these challenges, Richard remained steadfast in his hope for a cure: "I want to have a long-term relationship with hope. I really do," he wrote in Chasing Hope.

He continued, "Making that intimate connection is a challenge. 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."

Richard and Meredith were married for 38 years, tying the knot in 1986. Richard previously spoke with Yahoo Life and disclosed that he told Meredith about his MS diagnosis on their second date — and she didn't bat an eye.

"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 the outlet.

Meredith added, "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. It certainly wasn't enough to scare me off."

Instead, she became Richard's greatest supporter. As his illness progressed, Meredith chose to step back from her career to spend more time with him and their children.

"Time is one of those weird things. You can never get enough of it, and it just keeps ticking away. And I know that I want to spend more of mine with my husband, Richard, and my kids," she said when she left Today in 2011.

Our thoughts are with Richard's family and friends during this difficult time.