Former MTV “Total Request Live” host Ananda Lewis has died following a nearly 5-year battle with breast cancer. She was 52 years old.
“She’s free, and in His heavenly arms,” the video journalist’s sister Lakshmi wrote in a Facebook post announcing Ananda’s passing on Wednesday. “Lord, rest her soul 🙏🏽.”
Lewis revealed her cancer diagnosis in October 2020.
“This is tough for me, but if just ONE woman decides to get her mammogram after watching this, what I’m going through will be worth it,” she shared in her Instagram post, urging her followers to “practice early detection.”
In October 2024, Lewis shared that her tumor had metastasized and her cancer had progressed to stage IV after she chose to go against her doctor’s advice and refused to have a double mastectomy, according to People.
“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,” Lewis said at the time.
“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.”
Lewis continued to share her message of early detection up until her June death. In her January essay published in Essence, she also pushed for women to pay attention to their health as she reflected on her lingering mortality.
“We’re not meant to stay here forever. We come to this life, have experiences — and then we go,” she wrote.
“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,’” she added.
Lewis became a household name in 1997 when she started as one of MTV’s VJs. She hosted several popular shows on the network including “Total Request Live” and “Hot Zone.”
After being named “the hip-hop generation’s reigning It Girl,” by the New York Times, she left MTV in 2001 to host her talk show, “The Ananda Lewis Show.”
The series ran for one season. Lewis later made appearances as a host on “The Insider,” A&E’s “America’s Top Dog” and TLC’s “While You Were Out.” She also starred on “Celebrity Mole: Yucatán.”
Lewis is survived by her son, Langston, whom she welcomed in 2011 with Harry Smith — the brother of Will Smith.