Ananda Lewis, a well-known TV host from MTV’s “Total Request Live,” has passed away at 52 years old. She had been battling breast cancer for almost five years.
Her sister, Lakshmi, announced Ananda’s death on Facebook on Wednesday, saying, “She’s free, and in His heavenly arms.”
Ananda first shared publicly that she had cancer in October 2020. At that time, she urged women to get checked early, saying, “If just ONE woman decides to get her mammogram after watching this, what I’m going through will be worth it.”
However, in October 2024, Ananda revealed that her cancer had spread to an advanced stage (Stage IV). This happened after she decided against her doctor’s advice to have a double mastectomy.
She had hoped to treat the cancer in her body in a different way, saying she felt her body was “intelligent.”
But she later said, “I wish I could go back. It’s important for me to admit where I went wrong with this.”
Ananda continued to encourage early detection and health awareness until she passed away in June. In an essay in January, she wrote about accepting that life doesn’t last forever and wanting to live without unnecessary suffering.
Ananda Lewis became famous in 1997 as an MTV VJ, hosting popular shows like “Total Request Live.”
She was even called “the hip-hop generation’s reigning It Girl” by the New York Times. After leaving MTV in 2001, she hosted her talk show, “The Ananda Lewis Show,” which ran for one season.
She also appeared on other TV shows as a host and cast member.
Ananda Lewis is survived by her son, Langston, whose father is Harry Smith, brother of Will Smith.
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