RICHARD Cohen, a veteran CBS News journalist and husband of former Today anchor Meredith Vieira, has died at age 76.

Cohen died on Christmas Eve after living more than a half-decade with multiple sclerosis.

Former Today anchor Meredith Vieira (left) and her husband Richard Cohen at the Museum Of The Moving Image in New York City in April 2007
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Former Today anchor Meredith Vieira (left) and her husband Richard Cohen at the Museum Of The Moving Image in New York City in April 2007

Meredith Vieira and Richard Cohen pictured at SiriusXM Studios in May 2018 in New York City
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Meredith Vieira and Richard Cohen pictured at SiriusXM Studios in May 2018 in New York City
His death was announced on Tuesday during the Today show.

Cohen died “surrounded by his family and love,” Hoda Kotb said during the show.

Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie said Vieira was in “really good spirits” and was grateful the family could spend more time with Cohen before his death.

“She was such a beautiful and devoted wife to Richard, and he adored Meredith,” Guthrie said during Tuesday’s show.

“And hanging out with them, they were like the most fun and entertaining, irreverent, cool couple you could hang out with.”

Kotb noted that Cohen, Vieira, and their three children, Lily, 32, Gabriel, 34, and Benjamin, 36, gathered together over the Thanksgiving holiday.

The family was “concerned they were going to lose him early. Instead, they got a glorious month with their dad,” Kotb added.

In 2018, during an appearance on the Today show with his wife, Cohen recalled the impact his multiple sclerosis diagnosis had.

“I was diagnosed when I was 25 years old and essentially told there is no hope,” Cohen said.

“Diagnosed and adios. Nothing much we can do.”

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Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease that affects the central nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves, according to the National MS Society.

Cohen said he told Vieira about his diagnosis during their second date.

“I told her about the illness because I sort of learned the hard way to get it on the table,” he told Yahoo Life in 2019.

“And she really didn’t blink.”

Vieira recalled the moment, saying, “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.”

CHASING HOPE

The couple married in June 1986 and went on to have three children together.

Over the years, Cohen faced other health concerns, including surviving two bouts with colon cancer and a blood clot that appeared in his lung.

His multiple sclerosis diagnosis also left him legally blind towards the end of his life.

However, Cohen remains hopeful for a cure, “I want to have a long-term relationship with hope,” he penned in his 2018 memoir Chasing Hope: A Patient’s Deep Dive into Stem Cells, Faith, and the Future.

“Making that intimate connection is a challenge. For many years, I pushed hope aside, labeling it a crutch.

“In my research for Chasing Hope, smart people made the case for hope. They came from different places, but all had found the promised land.

“I decided I could use a little bit of the stuff. Perhaps I need a lot.”

Cohen is survived by his wife Vieira and their three children.