Ananda Lewis Dies at 52 After Battle with Breast Cancer

Ananda Lewis Dies At 52 After Battle With Breast Cancer

TV icon Ananda Lewis, who lit up MTV screens in the late ‘90s, has died at age 52 after a long fight with breast cancer. Her death was confirmed on June 11, 2025, in a heartfelt Facebook post by her sister, Lakshmi Lewis, who wrote, “She’s free, and in His heavenly arms. Lord, rest her soul.”

For anyone who grew up glued to Total Request Live or caught her warm, unfiltered charm on The Ananda Lewis Show, this one hits hard.

Ananda wasn’t just another VJ. She was MTV in the late ’90s — smart, sharp, and full of heart. She hosted the network’s biggest music and culture shows from 1997 to 2001 and became the face of a generation in baggy jeans and bucket hats. In 1999, The New York Times crowned her “the hip-hop generation’s reigning It Girl.”

She later launched her own syndicated talk show in 2001, The Ananda Lewis Show, which lasted just one season — but it proved she had more to say than just celeb gossip.

She then pivoted to The Insider as a correspondent, dipped into design on TLC’s While You Were Out, and even appeared on Celebrity Mole. More recently, she was working as a carpenter and contractor — proving she could wield a power drill just as well as a microphone.

But behind the scenes, she was in a fight for her life. In October 2020, Lewis posted a video to Instagram revealing she’d been diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer — and had kept it private for two years. She admitted she’d avoided mammograms for fear of radiation exposure and “false positives.”

“Please get your mammograms,” she urged viewers. “Don’t do what I did.”

She also revealed she turned down a double mastectomy, opting instead for alternative treatments — a decision she later expressed regrets about, according to her interviews with PEOPLE and Essence.

By 2024, her cancer had spread. She was living with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer, fighting it with “everything I’ve got,” as she once put it.

Ananda is survived by her son, Langston, whom she shared with Harry Smith — yes, Will Smith’s brother. She kept her personal life fiercely private but made it clear: motherhood was her proudest role.

There’s no denying her cultural impact. She brought depth and intellect to youth TV when the industry didn’t ask for it. She showed that being smart was cool, and she made space for real conversations — before it was trendy.