Meredith Vieira’s husband and journalist was 76 years old

Richard Cohen, award-winning journalist and husband of former “Today” anchor Meredith Vieira, died after battling pneumonia for two months, Vieira’s rep confirmed. He was 76.

Cohen died on Christmas Eve, Vieira’s representative Michael Gantz confirmed to USA TODAY on Tuesday. The Hudson Independent was first to report the news. According to the “Today” show, Cohen was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis more than 50 years ago and survived two bouts of cancer.

Vieira and Cohen were married for almost four decades and have three children together: Benjamin (36), Gabriel (34) and Lily (32).

A journalist himself, Cohen won three Emmy awards for his work at CBS News before moving to CNN. He also spent time at PBS and ABC.

“You don’t have to let it control you,” he told Yahoo Life in 2019 about MS. “I can give you a long list of things I can no longer do. You just learn to accept it. I look at our three kids, I look at our relationship, I’ve written four books…what do I have to complain about?”

Do you need a break? Play the USA TODAY daily crossword puzzle.

In addition to broadcasting, Cohen wrote a health column for The New York Times and authored several books: one about his own health struggles and another about five different people struggling with chronic illness.

What is MS?

According to the Mayo Clinic, multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a chronic disease that causes a breakdown of the nerves’ protective covering, resulting in numbness and difficulty walking and seeing.

According to Today, Cohen told Vieira on their second date about his illness, as he was completely blind due to MS.