TV presenter Meredith Vieira's husband dies from MS at the age of 76 - after two cancer battles

The 71-year-old star married Richard M. Cohen - who worked as a journalist and television producer - in 1986.

Meredith’s Today co-star Hoda Kotb made the announcement on Tuesday - confirming that Richard had passed away on Christmas Eve following a decades-long battle with multiple sclerosis.

He was diagnosed with MS when he was just 25. The couple tied the knot in 1996.

During an interview with Yahoo Life! in 2019, he noted that MS was “a family illness,” as his mother and father both had it. He also recalled some of his first symptoms of the disease.

Hoda said: "Meredith did say that all of the kids came around Thanksgiving because they were concerned they were going to lose him early. But instead, they got a glorious month with their dad.”

Meredith - who has Benjamin, 36, Gabriel, 34, and Lily, 32, with her late husband - is said to be in "good spirits" just a few weeks on from the tragedy.

Hoda's co-host Savannah Guthrie said: "She’s in really good spirits. She was such a beautiful and devoted wife to Richard and he adored Meredith. And hanging out with them, they were like the most fun and entertaining, irreverent, cool couple you could hang out with!"

Meredith made her name as the original anchor of 'The View' more than 30 years ago and the ABC daytime talk show was quick to send their condolences to her at the top of the show.

Host Joy Behar said: "A lot of people who’ve watched the show remember Richard. Meredith told us that it’s only fitting because he came into this world on Valentine’s Day, so he left it on a holiday. So it felt like perfect symmetry.

"Our hearts go out to our beloved Meredith, as well as Richard’s family and many friends. A life well lived.”

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease that affects the central nervous system and in 2018, Richard - who also survived two cancer battles - revealed that he was told that there was "no hope" for him upon his initial diagnosis, now more than 50 years ago.

Speaking on The Today Show with his wife, he said: "I was diagnosed when I was 25 years old and essentially told there is no hope.

"Diagnosed and adios. Nothing much we can do."

He went on to pen several books about his illness and claimed that "too many people stay closed" when they are diagnosed.

It was during his second date with former Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? host Meredith that he decided to tell her about it.

He told Yahoo Life: "I told her about the illness, because I sort of learned the hard way to get it on the table. And she really didn’t blink.”

Meredith added: "I’ve always been of the school of thought that you could get hit by a bus the next day, any one of us could. It certainly wasn’t enough to scare me off."