Ananda Lewis, a former MTV VJ, passed away from breast cancer at the age of 52
The media personality who broke down barriers had stage four breast cancer.
The cherished former MTV VJ, talk show host, and unwavering supporter Ananda Lewis has died. She was fifty-two.
Her sister Lakshmi confirmed the news in a touching Facebook post announcing her death.
She used broken heart emojis to write, “She’s free, and in his heavenly arms.” “May her soul rest, Lord.”
Since then, Lakshmi has verified the information to TMZ, stating that Ananda passed away on Wednesday at 11:35 AM from stage 4 breast cancer while receiving hospice care at her home in Los Angeles.
During her tenure at MTV in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Lewis was a defining voice of a generation. She served as a journalist on MTV News and Total Request Live, and her intelligence and distinctive charm lit up TV screens, giving Black girls hope for a bright future.
She started The Ananda Lewis program, a powerful syndicated daytime talk program, in 2001. In the years after, she has been an outspoken supporter of breast cancer awareness, especially among Black women, and has urged them to prioritize early detection.
In a 2020 Instagram post, she revealed her diagnosis of breast cancer and discussed why she had chosen to forego mammograms for years because of worries about radiation exposure.
“I have been refusing mammograms for a very long time, and that was a mistake,” Lewis stated at the time. “I was shocked to learn that my mother had breast cancer after nearly 30 years of watching her have mammograms. Breast cancer is the result of years of radiation exposure. I will, in fact, pass. In any case, thanks.
“The tumor in my breast would have been discovered years before I discovered it through my own self-examination and thermography if I had had the mammograms when they were advised when I turned 40,” she added. Additionally, they would have discovered it where it was easier to control. where it could have been handled a bit more easily. I use that word to describe what I’m going through right now, even though it’s never easy. Rather, I am coping with stage 3 breast cancer that has spread to my lymph nodes. I require that you have mammograms.
After initially opting out of conventional therapies, she eventually disclosed that her breast cancer had advanced to stage IV, as previously reported.
Lewis was given a stage 3 diagnosis in 2019 but chose not to have a double mastectomy at the time, citing access issues during the COVID-19 lockdowns as well as personal preference.
She told The Epoch Times in October that “my tumor wasn’t aggressively growing at the time, and then COVID hit, so the circumstances weren’t conducive to surgery.” In Arizona, she instead sought cryoablation therapy, which reduced the size of her tumor.
Lewis told the magazine that she followed a rigorous diet that excluded sugar, white flour, and alcohol. She also spent almost $200,000 on a number of therapies, including insulin potentiation therapy (IPT), which she said was quite successful. She stated that she had a network of “angels” who made sure she could continue receiving care, adding, “If I knew what I know now, I would’ve started with the IPT chemo immediately.”
Her cancer reached stage 4 in 2023 and spread to her liver, hips, and spine. Despite this, Lewis maintained a strong sense of purpose and a rebellious optimism, particularly as a single mother to her son.
In one of her last interviews, she stated, “I may have felt like I was dying in February, but I’m not dying, and I’m definitely doing better than I was last October.” “I believe I’ll perform better than I did five years ago. I will live for a very long time. I intend to live for another twenty years or so.
Lewis is survived by her 14-year-old son, who, according to Ananda’s sister, received his middle school diploma today.
Ananda Lewis, rest in peace.
