Sheinelle Jones' husband, Uche Ojeh, has died from an aggressive form of brain cancer,"Today" show anchors announcedon 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 calledglioblastoma,"Savannah Guthriesaid 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 atNorthwestern University. "One thing he always talked about – he talked about those kids," co-hostCraig Melvinadded. "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." Ojeh died fromglioblastoma, 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. SingerMichael Boltonwas recently diagnosed with glioblastoma, which is the most common form of brain cancer. The beloved co-anchorof the NBC morning show's third hourhas been absent from the network for months after announcing Jan. 15 that she was taking a breakfrom the "Today" familyto 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 onInstagramin January. 'Today' show's Sheinelle Jones absence:Third hour co-host addresses speculation "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 andMelvinpointed 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." Jones, a graduate of theesteemed Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism, joined "Today" in 2014 after almost a decade atFox 29 News Philadelphia, where she co-hostedmorning show "Good Day Philadelphia"alongside local broadcasting legend Mike Jerrick. She currently co-hosts the third hour alongsideMelvin,Al Rokerandmeteorologist 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 froma major vocalchord surgery with People magazine. 'Today' anchor Sheinelle Jones toundergo surgery that will leave her voiceless for two weeks At the time, shetold the outlet that the hourlong procedureleft hervoiceless 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 This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Sheinelle Jones' husband Uche Ojeh dead: 'Today' host's spouse was 45
