'Today' co-host Sheinelle Jones' husband Uche Ojeh dies of brain cancer
Sheinelle Jones' husband, Uche Ojeh, has died from an aggressive form of brain cancer, "Today" show anchors announced on air. He was 45.
"With profound sadness, we share this morning that Uche Ojeh, the husband of our friend and 'Today' co-host Sheinelle Jones, has passed away after a courageous battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer called glioblastoma," Savannah Guthrie said on the "Today" show on May 23.
"There are no words for the pain we feel for Sheinelle and their three young children. Uche was an incredible person. We all loved him. And so we want to take a moment to tell you more about the remarkable man who was Sheinelle's perfect partner in life."
The pair had been married since 2007, and shared son Kayin, 15, and fraternal twins Uche and Clara, 12. The couple met at Northwestern University.
"One thing he always talked about – he talked about those kids," co-host Craig Melvin added. "He loved those kids more than anything else in this world, and was just so proud. He was that dad that was on the sideline at every soccer game. He was at all the concerts, the recitals. He was that guy, and they had such a beautiful love story."
Jones posted the clip on her Instagram, writing: "Thank you, for all of your love and support."
What is glioblastoma? Uche Ojeh died from aggressive form of brain cancer
Ojeh died from glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer with a low survival rate.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, glioblastoma is a "devastating" type of cancer that "can result in death in fewer than six months without treatment." It begins as a growth of cells in the brain or spinal cord and "grows quickly," and symptoms can include headaches, decline in brain functions and memory loss, per the Mayo Clinic.
The five-year survival rate for glioblastoma patients is about 6.9%, and the average length of survival is estimated to be only eight months, according to the National Brain Tumor Society.
Singer Michael Bolton was recently diagnosed with glioblastoma, which is the most common form of brain cancer.
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Sheinelle Jones 'Today' show absence explained
The beloved co-anchor of the NBC morning show's third hour has been absent from the network for months after announcing Jan. 15 that she was taking a break from the "Today" family to focus on her family at home.
"Hi everybody ... I sincerely appreciate all of you who have reached out while l've been absent from the show. I want to share with you that I'm taking time to deal with a family health matter," Jones said in a post on Instagram in January.
"It's not lost on me how lucky l am to have not only the support of my Today Show family, but to also have all of you. Your kindness means so much to me. I'll see you soon," she captioned the post at the time, signing the note "Love, Sheinelle." At the time, Jones was flooded with thousands of well wishes from "Today" watchers in her comments.
On the "Today" show amid Jones' statement, "Today" show first hour main anchors Guthrie and Melvin pointed viewers to Jones' Instagram post to let her explain her absence in her own words.
"We know so many of you have been asking about Sheinelle and missing her, and we miss her too," Guthrie said, while Melvin had a message for Jones, saying, "We all love you and we are so looking forward to having you back."
Sheinelle Jones previously took leave of absence for health reasons
Jones, a graduate of the esteemed Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism, joined "Today" in 2014 after almost a decade at Fox 29 News Philadelphia, where she co-hosted morning show "Good Day Philadelphia" alongside local broadcasting legend Mike Jerrick. She currently co-hosts the third hour alongside Melvin, Al Roker and meteorologist Dylan Dreyer.
Jones also hosts the popular "Wild Child" segments about baby animals around the world for NBC's "The More You Know" programs. She previously took a leave of absence for health reasons in 2020, documenting her recovering from a major vocal chord surgery with People magazine.
At the time, she told the outlet that the hourlong procedure left her voiceless for three weeks.
"It's to the point where people at home have no idea what I do just to get ready for a show in the morning," Jones added. "When I get a call that I have to track a story early in the morning, I get up like 30 minutes early so I can do exercises on my throat just so that I don't sound hoarse."
This story has been updated to include additional information.
Contributing: Taijuan Moorman and Adrianna Rodriguez