Journalist and Former MTV VJ 'Ananda Lewis' Has Died at 52, Following Her Battle With Breast Cancer

Ananda Lewis/Shutterstock

Ananda Lewis, journalist, and former MTV VJ, has passed away at 52 following her battle with breast cancer.

According to PEOPLE, her sister Lakshmi announced her death in a Facebook post on Wednesday, June 11. The post stated, "She's free, and in His heavenly arms," she wrote, with broken heart emojis and a beautiful black and white portrait of Lewis. "Lord, rest her soul 🙏🏽"

Ananda gained fame during the 1990s after co-hosting BET's "Teen Summit." She later went to MTV, where she hosted MTV's "Total Request Live" and "Hot Zone." She left MTV in 2001 to host her talk show, "The Ananda Lewis Show." She also appeared in the films On the Line, Nora's Hair Salon II, and Method and Red—all of which she reportedly produced. The Howard University graduate also worked as a correspondent for The Insider.

In October 2024, the former VJ announced that her cancer had progressed. Lewis explained that in 2020, she was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer after not getting regular mammograms due to fear of radiation. She shared that she decided against getting a mastectomy and tried to heal holistically after her diagnosis with a change in diet and fractionated chemotherapy. According to PEOPLE, Lewis took part in a roundtable discussion with CNN's Stephanie Elam and Sara Sidner, where she revealed that her tumor had metastasized.

According to ABC, she shared her reasons for not utilizing different treatment options; she stated, "I couldn't handle doing such a drastic surgery in my life at that time—I was a stay-at-home mom, homeschooling my son. Cancer doesn't come and replace all the other stuff you have to do. Cancer happens on top of your life, and for me, it was just too overwhelming in the beginning."

Yet, Lewis was also very hopeful that she would beat cancer. In February, she shared an Instagram post about wellness, reminding viewers that "prevention is the cure; if you're in a healthy body, you're holding a winning lotto ticket." Lewis continued to tell her followers that preserving your health is "way easier than fighting to get it back!"

The 52-year-old shared her story with Essence this year for the January/February edition; she stated:

I breastfed my son for three years. During that time, I had mastitis often, and it always happened in my right breast. By 2014, once I stopped breastfeeding, things calmed down—so I really didn't pay much attention to the breast anymore. Like most people with a hectic life, for me, something had to hurt or be broken to get my attention.  

I was in the shower one morning in December 2018, and I felt a lump in my breast. Since it was in the same place that the mastitis had occurred, I hoped it was related to that. It was a little larger than a pea, but definitely noticeable. My next step was to get a thermography scan, which uses a heat-sensing camera to find hot spots in the body. Cancer tends to appear really hot.  

It registered very clearly that something was going on—so in January 2019, I found a breast specialist and went in for a biopsy. The doctor called me the next day and told me the material came back as positive for invasive carcinoma. It was ER/PR positive, HER2 negative breast cancer, stage 3.  

Despite the advancement in her condition, Lewis seemed very positive that she could beat cancer. She's also admitted to her supporters during her social media shares that she went wrong in her approach to healing. 

While sharing periodic updates about her progress online, she encouraged others to take preventative measures, such as regular mammograms for early cancer detection. Her final Instagram post was in March.

Ananda leaves behind a son, Langston, whom she shares with actor Will Smith's brother, Harry Smith.

May she rest in peace.

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