Ananda Lewis, a former MTV VJ, has d!ed at the age of 52.

Lakshmi Emory, whom Lewis once described as a “phenomenal sister” in a birthday message, shared news of her death in a June 11 Facebook post.

“She’s free, and in His heavenly arms,” she wrote next to a black-and-white photo of Lewis. “Lord, rest her soul.”

Emory did not share additional details, including Lewis’ cause of death.

Lewis was an MTV staple in the late ‘90s, hosting “Total Request Live” and video countdown show “Hot Zone.” She also hosted her own talk show, “The Ananda Lewis Show,” in 2001.

Ananda Lewis’ breast cancer battle

Lewis was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer in 2019 and later revealed that it had progressed to Stage 4 — meaning the tumor has spread to parts of the body beyond the lymph nodes, such as the bones, lungs or brain, according to the American College of Surgeons.

Before her cancer progressed, she opted against the double mastectomy doctors recommended at the time.

“I decided to keep my tumor and try to work it out of my body a different way,” Lewis recalled while appearing at a CNN roundtable in late 2024. “Looking back on that I go, ‘Girl, maybe I should’ve (had the surgery).’”

She added that she felt she “didn’t have good options” for treatment.

“They wanted to take both (breasts),” she said. “They wanted to do all these big things that I was not ready for.”

Instead, she underwent chemotherapy and prioritized healthy lifestyle changes. “I was watching, monitoring, seeing what the tumor was doing, seeing how it was reacting to things,” she said.

The tumor then spread, and an October 2023 PET scan confirmed it was Stage 4. “That scan showed that I had this kind of up my spine, through my hip, almost everywhere but my brain,” Lewis said. “I’ve never been in pain like that in my life.”

In an interview with the New York Times a year later in October 2024, she shared that she was no longer eligible to receive chemotherapy or surgery because her cancer had progressed too much. But she still felt she was “really thriving,” adding that the new medications she was taking were “working beautifully for me in combination with the other things I’m doing that help support my body.”

A few months later, in a January 2025 op-ed for Essence, Lewis shared more about some of the alternative methods she tried to fight her breast cancer, including cutting out alcohol, sugar, monthly ultrasounds, high-dose vitamin C IVs, hyperbaric chamber sessions and qigong exercise.

Lewis had also said she refused to undergo mammograms out of fear of radiation exposure, which she later regretted. While mammograms do expose patients to radiation, the health benefits far outweigh the risks, the American Cancer Society notes.

Refusing breast cancer treatment

Lewis’ cause of death has not been confirmed as related to her cancer diagnosis.

Stage 4 breast cancer is not considered curable as it cannot be completely removed from the body. The five-year survival rate is around 31% percent, compared to 86% for Stage 3, per the American Cancer Society.

Research has shown that delaying or refusing traditional treatments for breast and other cancers and opting for alternative methods instead can increase risk of death.

In her 2025 Essence piece, Lewis wrote, “Going into 2025, I would say to women: Do everything in your power to avoid my story becoming yours. If I had known what I know now 10 years ago, perhaps I wouldn’t have ended up here.”

“I encourage people to look at the information and studies that exist. Seek them out, learn from them and apply the changes to your life, so that you can continue to thrive and live as long as you can,” she added.