Ananda Lewis, former MTV VJ, tragically passed away from breast cancer at the age of 52 on Wednesday. The devastating news was announced by the star’s sister via a black-and-white portrait of the host posted on Facebook.
The caption read: “She’s free, and in His heavenly arms. Lord, rest her soul.”
In 2020, Ananda shared an Instagram post that announced that she has been diagnosed with stage III breast cancer. The talk show host admitted that she had not been undergoing regular mammograms due to her fear of radiation.
During a roundtable chat with CNN’s Stephanie Elam and CNN anchor Sara Sidner in October 2024, Ananda explained that she did not listen to the medical advice she was offered and chose to not have a double mastectomy after her diagnosis. As a result, Ananda’s tumor had metastasized and her cancer grew to stage IV.
© Getty Images“My plan at first was to get out excessive toxins in my body. I felt like my body is intelligent, I know that to be true. Our bodies are brilliantly made,” she shared. “I decided to keep my tumor and try to work it out of my body a different way. . . . I wish I could go back. It’s important for me to admit where I went wrong with this.”
In an essay published by Essence, Ananda opened up about her diagnosis and explained that “prevention is the real cure” for cancer. “We’re not meant to stay here forever. We come to this life, have experiences – and then we go,” she penned.
© Getty Images“Being real about that with yourself changes how you choose to live. I don’t want to spend one more minute than I have to suffering unnecessarily. That, for me, is not the quality of life I’m interested in. When it’s time for me to go, I want to be able to look back on my life and say, ‘I did that exactly how I wanted to.'”
© Getty ImagesAnanda was born in Los Angeles in 1973 and moved to San Diego with her mother at the age of two following her parents’ divorce. In 1997 she was recruited to be one of MTV’s VJs and hosted the likes of Total Request Live and Hot Zone. The star left the network in 2001 to pursue her own talk show, The Ananda Lewis Show.
“I wanted a change,” she told Teen People about the move. “It was a matter of proving to myself that I can do [this].” The series premiered in September 2001 and lasted for one season.
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