00:00We do have some sad news about a beloved member of our Today Show family.
00:03Richard Cohen, Meredith Vieira's husband of nearly 40 years, died on Christmas Eve.
00:08He was 76 years old.
00:10Richard lived for more than 50 years with multiple sclerosis, surviving two cancer diagnosis.
00:15But he refused to let any of those challenges define him.
00:18He was an accomplished journalist, a devoted husband, and father.
00:23Richard Cohen lived his life to the fullest, using laughter to get through whatever came his way.
00:29You know, Meredith and I both use humor as a coping mechanism.
00:32It's really what helps get you through the day.
00:35An award-winning journalist, an author, and an advocate.
00:39We'll remember him most as our friend and the beloved husband of our own Meredith Vieira.
00:45We just love when our old pal Meredith Vieira and her husband Richard Cohen stopped by to say hi.
00:50Mostly with Richard, but Meredith...
00:52Cohen spent his career speaking truth to power, covering politics and wars,
00:56rising through the ranks at CBS News.
00:59But it was his own personal story that resonated with so many.
01:03At a young age, Cohen was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
01:07I was diagnosed when I was 25 years old and essentially told there is no hope.
01:12Diagnosed and adios.
01:14Oh, I'll see you later, yeah.
01:15Nothing much we can do.
01:16He decided to turn his pain into purpose, writing about his own health struggles,
01:22eventually becoming a fierce advocate for the chronically ill.
01:26I think too many people stay closed and don't tell the truth.
01:30He lived with the disease for more than 50 years, revealing his diagnosis to Meredith on their second date.
01:37I told her about the illness because I sort of learned the hard way to get it on the table.
01:44And she really didn't blink.
01:47I've always been in the school of thought that you could get hit by a bus the next day.
01:51Any one of us could.
01:52It certainly wasn't enough to scare me off.
01:54Of all of his many accomplishments, if you asked him, he'd say he was proudest of his family.
02:00His sons, Ben and Gabe, and daughter Lily.
02:03And, of course, his wife of 38 years, Meredith.
02:07When Meredith left the Today Show in 2011, her decision was driven by her desire to spend more time with
02:13her husband and children.
02:15Time is one of those weird things.
02:17You can never get enough of it.
02:18And it just keeps ticking away.
02:20And I know that I want to spend more of mine with my husband, Richard, and my kids.
02:24Richard Cohen died on Christmas Eve, surrounded by his family and love.
02:29And Meredith did say that...
