Ananda Lewis, a former talk show host and MTV VJ, passed away at age 52.

Lakshmi, the sister of the former MTV VJ, confirmed the news of her passing on Facebook on Wednesday, June 11.

She added, "She’s free, and in His heavenly arms," and included a black and white picture of Lewis and several broken heart emojis. "Rest her soul, Lord."

Lewis rose to fame in 1997 after being hired as a VJ for MTV, where she hosted programs like Hot Zone and Total Request Live. She was named "the hip-hop generation's reigning It Girl" by The New York Times in 1999. In 2001, she departed from MTV to host The Ananda Lewis Show, her own discussion show.

Lewis disclosed her stage III breast cancer diagnosis in an Instagram post from 2020. She said that her fear of radiation had prevented her from receiving routine mammograms. In a roundtable interview with CNN's Stephanie Elam, a college classmate, and CNN presenter Sara Sidner in October 2024, Lewis disclosed that she defied medical advice and chose not to have a double mastectomy following her diagnosis. She disclosed that her cancer had advanced to stage IV and that her tumor had spread.

Initially, I intended to rid my body of extra poisons. I know that my body is intelligent, yet I still felt that way. "Our bodies are incredibly well-made," Lewis remarked. I made the decision to preserve my tumor and attempt to remove it from my body in a different manner. I would like to return. It is critical that I own my mistakes in this.

Lewis urged women to pay attention to their health and stressed that "prevention is the real cure" for cancer in an editorial that was published in Essence in January.

"We are not intended to remain here indefinitely. She wrote, "We enter this world, have experiences, and then we leave." "Your choice of lifestyle is altered when you are honest with yourself about that. I do not want to endure needlessly for any longer than absolutely necessary. I am not interested in that kind of quality of life. I want to be able to look back on my life and say, "I did that precisely how I wanted to," when the time comes for me to leave.

In 1973, Lewis was born in Los Angeles. When she was two years old, her parents separated, and she and her sister, Lakshmi, relocated to San Diego to live with their grandmother. Lewis talked candidly with Teen People in 1999 about her challenging connection with her mother during her childhood and adolescence.

She said, "Mom was distraught by the divorce and working hard to raise two kids, so she was overburdened from the start." However, Lewis "developed a lot of anger toward her" because he felt abandoned. 

"My mother and I were fighting about everything by the time I was ten years old, and I had turned into a violent, disobedient child," she said.

She volunteered and participated in school plays while attending an arts high school. She got a job hosting BET's Teen Summit, which was taped in Washington, D.C., after graduating from Howard University in 1995. She spoke with Hillary Clinton, the first lady at the time, in one episode.

She told Teen People, "I came to New York and started working at MTV after that experience got me noticed." After a time of estrangement, she had made amends with her mother months previously, in December 1996. "I made the decision to put an end to my animosity and bitterness against my mother and start a new chapter that was centered on love, forgiveness, and gratitude for her," she said.

Lewis rose to prominence as a host on MTV. In 1999, Bob Kusbit, who was then MTV's senior vice president for production, told The New York Times that her skills were "sometimes just gorgeous people who could read cue cards." However, after bringing Ananda to MTV, we made the decision to do a lot more live TV, and her live TV skills were what really caught my attention.

Lewis conducted interviews with a number of superstars, including Britney Spears, NSYNC, Brandy, and Destiny's Child. In the end, she covered more serious subjects for the network, such as school violence and the death of her close friend Aaliyah in 2001.

Lewis was listed as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World by PEOPLE in 2000. She frequently appeared at celebrity events as well. Prince, who told The New York Times that "Ananda is Cleopatra," was also an outspoken admirer. She is a queen, as you are aware.

In 2001, Lewis quit her position on MTV to create her own talk show. "I wanted a change," she said at the time to Teen People. "I had to prove to myself that I could accomplish [something]." The show ran for one season and debuted on September 10, 2001.

Lewis told Shondaland, "I wish I had told the people who wanted me to do the [talk] show, 'Not yet, it is a little too early to do this.'" Lewis reflected on the series. I thought it was overdone. "It was not what I felt like I signed up for," she explained, expressing her dissatisfaction with the performance.

After taking a hiatus from TV, Lewis later made an appearance as a host on Entertainment Tonight's spin-off, The Insider. She also hosted A&E's America's Top Dog and TLC's While You Were Out, and she made an appearance on the reality show Celebrity Mole: Yucatán. Lewis went on to work as a carpenter and constructor.

In 2023, MTV News ceased operations. In a statement to PEOPLE at the time, Lewis noted, "A foundation of diverse and creative discourse is collapsing. No one else was able to cover what MTV News did. While DMX and Korn were performing on famous concert stages, we had the opportunity to enter the trailer. MTV News was trusted by artists to tell their tales.

"I did numerous specials with MTV News and know firsthand what a major loss this is for the culture of music and those who love it," she said, despite the fact that she was officially a VJ.

Lewis and Will Smith's brother Harry Smith welcomed a son, Langston, in 2011.