Meredith Vieira's Husband, Richard Cohen, Dies at 76 After Battle with MS

Meredith Vieira and his family mourn the loss of their patriarch.

Richard Cohenveteran CBS News reporter and Vieira's husband, died on Christmas Eve after a 50-year battle with multiple sclerosis, according to a Today article published on January 7. He was 76 years old.

Today host Hoda Kotb announced Cohen's death during a January 7 segment and noted that at the time of his passing, he was “surrounded by family and love.” Cohost Savannah Guthrie also shared an update on Vieira, who anchored Today until 2011.

“She’s in a really good mood,” she said of the reporter. “She was such a beautiful, devoted wife to Richard, and he adored Meredith. And hanging out with them, they were the funniest, most entertaining, most irreverent, coolest couple you could ever date. “

E! News has reached out to Vieira's representatives for additional comment.

Cohen was first diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 25. Mayo ClinicMS is “a disease that causes the protective covering of nerves to be destroyed” and “can cause numbness, weakness, difficulty walking, vision changes and other symptoms.”