Richard Cohen, an Emmy-winning columnist and father of past” Now” show anchor , Meredith Vieira, died on , Christmas Eve, 50 years after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He was 76.
The , three-time Emmy award-winning , CBS  , journalist , had been battling pneumonia for two months when he died, Forbes reports. A former senior manufacturer for , CBS News , and , CNN, Cohen often wrote for The New York Times ‘” Health and Fitness” sections.
” Today” anchor , Hoda Kotb , reported on Tuesday  , that he died” surrounded by his family and love”, including Vieira and their three adult children. Collectively, the pair discuss daughter Lily, 32, as well as children Gabriel, 34, and Benjamin, 36. Like his parents, Gabriel is also a blogger, reporting for , CNN , from their , Washington, D. C., commission.
Cohen’s family feared saying goodbye “early,” but Kotb claimed it was” a glorious month with their dad.”
During a 2018 appearance on” Today” with Vieira, whom he wed in 1986, Cohen said he was diagnosed with MS at just 25 years old” and essentially told there is no hope”. After learning” the hard way get it on the stand,” as he recalled to Yahoo Life, he disclosed the treatment to Vieira on their next meeting. ” She didn’t blink”.
The original” The View” co-host explained to the outlet that Cohen’s chronic illness “certainly wasn’t going to scare me off,” because she’s always been aware of how fragile and precious life is.
” You could get hit by a vehicle the next day, any one of us had”, said Vieira.
Multiple sclerosis , may cause dizziness, weakness, trouble walking, perspective changes and can completely damage nerve fibers, according to the , Mayo Clinic.
Cohen also half survived colon cancers, a blood clot in his heart and, in his early years,  , was left officially legally blinded by the MS, according to People.
Vieira, who now hosts the , “25 Words or Less”  , game show, retired from” Today” in 2011 to spend more time with her family.
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