Meredith Vieira And the late husband Richard Cohen They were each other's biggest supporters throughout their decades-long marriage.
Cohen had already been suffering from multiple sclerosis for 10 years when he met Vieira in 1982 after being diagnosed with the chronic neurological disorder when he was 25 years old. “I dropped the coffee pot for no reason. I fell off the sidewalk for no reason. I noticed a little numbness in my leg,” he said. Yahoo Lifestyle In March 2019. “It damaged my vision fairly quickly, but other than that, I was very physically active and I thought I was really outperforming him. “I was living in denial.”
Despite his health struggles, Cohen and Vieira fell in love and welcomed three children. “It's one of those clubs that you don't want to join, but when you become a part of it, you realize that there are amazing people within this community,” Vieira said of her husband during a September 2019 appearance on Channel One. The view. “And I really believe that when you're given it, that's the card you're dealt, and you have to deal with it. And it's amazing.”
The couple had been married for 38 years when Cohen died at the age of 76 in December 2024. Hoda Kotb Announce the news on today In January 2025, he revealed that Cohen was “surrounded by his family and love” at the time of his death.
Meredith Vieira's husband, Richard Cohen, has died at the age of 76 after a battle with multiple sclerosis. The Today program confirmed on Tuesday, January 7, that Cohen died on Christmas Eve after living with the disease for more than 50 years. Today show host Hoda Kotb told viewers that Cohen was “surrounded by his family and love” (…)
Scroll down to take a look at the beautiful love story between Vieira and Cohen:
1982
In March 2019, Vieira said Yahoo Lifestyle She and Cohen “went toe-to-toe” from the beginning of their relationship, saying: “I thought two things: 'What a jerk,' and then my second thought was: 'I'm going to marry this guy.'”
Cohen noted that he informed his future wife of his MS diagnosis on their second date. “I learned the hard way to put it on the table,” he said, noting that Vieira “did not blink” when the matter was revealed.
1986
The couple said “I do” four years after they met.
1989
Cohen and Vieira became parents with the birth of their eldest child, son Benjamin.
1991
The couple welcomed their second child, son Gabriel.
1993
Their family continued to grow with the birth of their daughter, Lily.
May 2011
Vieira announced her decision to leave her role as anchor on NBC today In order to spend more time with her family. “I was so torn because I love it here,” she said. press conference at that time. “But I had personal issues that were weighing on me and I felt like I really needed to examine them closely and make a decision based on them.”
“It went back and forth, back and forth,” she added. It was really last minute that I had to follow my gut, and I know it's the right thing, but it doesn't make it any easier.
December 2011
“I think it's important to ask for help when you need help, and to have friends who care about you,” Vieira said when asked to share advice for families dealing with MS on an episode of Anderson Live. “At first, I thought: Boy, is this putting a burden on others?” But that's what friends are for, literally. And I'm never shy if we need any kind of help, and I think it's great that kids can talk to people too.
She continued: “And maintain a sense of humor.” I mean, I think that's what got us through a lot of this. To the best of your ability, just always look on the bright side when you can find it.
Cohen added, “I think we've learned that illness is a family affair, and they have a lot at stake in this as well, and they need care and they need help to get through it. And it really works better when you do it as a unit because you support each other.”
April 2014
Take Vieira to Social media To reveal that her husband had been hospitalized with “a blood clot in his leg that had partially traveled to his lungs.”
In a Follow-up tweetShe thanked fans for their “kind thoughts and prayers” and joked that “Richard is feeling better and flirting with the nurses already!” (Cohen previously suffered from colon cancer in 1999 and 2000.)
May 2018
“For Richard to be able to write a book, he is legally blind and can only use one hand. So, imagine someone, every day, around 6 a.m. until about 8 p.m. at night, with their face glued to the computer, typing with one hand,” Vieira said. . today While Cohen was discussing writing his fourth book, Chasing hope. “And I say: Why don't you just talk into the microphone, and everything will be transcribed?” Richard was very clear in pointing out that “that's not the way I write.” This is not the way I am created. That's why when I said last night that I respect him, I admire him – and we do that as a family – but I'm in awe of him.
September 2019
“We definitely let each other vent,” Vieira said. the people About how she and Cohen deal with difficult times. “That's part of the deal. Of course he's allowed to vent, because he's chronically ill. But so am I. Because there are days I can't stand it and the restrictions it puts on the whole family. It's nice to say that. But we don't dwell.”
She continued: “You can think: Why us? But then it's like, “Why not us?” Many people deal with things and put them into perspective. …Richard is a very funny guy, and I have a good sense of humor, so that’s what sets us apart.”
Hollywood mourned many celebrities in 2024, including Shannen Doherty and Liam Payne. Us Weekly confirmed Doherty's death on July 14. The Beverly Hills 90210 star first battled breast cancer from 2015 to 2017, and shared nearly three years later that it was back. In 2023, Doherty shared that her stage 4 breast cancer had spread to[…]
January 2025
News broke of Cohen's death on Christmas Eve in December 2024. Kotb explained today That the couple's children reunited for Thanksgiving because “they were worried they were going to lose him early.” Instead, they spent a “glorious month” with Cohen before his death.
Savannah Guthrie She noted that Vieira was “in really good spirits” before praising her for being a “beautiful, devoted wife” to Cohen. “And he adored Meredith,” she said. “They were, like, the most fun, entertaining, irreverent, wonderful couple you could ever spend time with.”
