How did Meredith Vieira meet her husband Richard Cohen? All we know as Emmy winning CBS journalist passes away

Richard Cohen, the Emmy-winning journalist and author, died on 2024 Christmas Eve at the age of 76 after a two-month fight with pneumonia.

Cohen’s death brings an end to his almost 40 years of marriage with Meredith Vieira, a beloved TV host known for her work on “The Today Show” and “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” Richard Cohen also had a long battle with multiple sclerosis (MS), a debilitating disease with which he was diagnosed at the age of 25.

Cohen, an acclaimed journalist at CBS News, CNN, and PBS, battled MS and two cancers.

Meredith Vieira and Cohen met when they were both working at CBS Evening News in the early 1980s. Cohen was already an established name in the industry by the time they met, per People Magazine.

Richard Cohen later revealed in an interview with Yahoo Life in 2019, that during their second date, he had disclosed to Vieira about his chronic illness, multiple sclerosis. Cohen recalled how open communication about his health challenges became an essential component of their relationship.

Addressing Cohen’s health problems in an interview with People Magazine, Meredith Vieira said:

"That's part of the deal. Certainly, he’s allowed to vent, because he’s got chronic illness. But I am too."

The couple got married on June 14, 1986. They had three children together, Benjamin, Gabriel, and Lily. Vieira often talked about how much family meant to her, even amid her career and her husband’s health needs.

Richard Cohen's fight against multiple sclerosis

Richard Cohen was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 25 and lived with the chronic neurological condition for more than 50 years. He was left legally blind due to the challenges posed by MS.

The long-term condition of multiple sclerosis (MS) involves the degeneration of the protective sheath around nerve fibers. This can cause symptoms like numbness, trouble walking, and vision issues, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Cohen frequently discussed how important it was to adjust to life with a chronic condition. In a 2019 interview with Yahoo Life, Cohen looked back on the way MS had held him back but also noted all the things he had been able to achieve despite it, like writing four books and raising a family.

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In addition to being resilient, Richard Cohen inspired others with his writing. In his book Strong at the Broken Places, he wrote about his struggles with the disease.

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