Ananda Lewis, MTV VJ and Host, Died at 52 Years Old — Details on Her Cause of Death

Journalist Ananda Lewis, best known for her time as an MTV VJ, died on Wednesday, June 11. The media darling was only 52 years old at the time of her death.

Before she died, Ananda had publicly spoken out about her health and raised awareness about the disease that ultimately took her life. Here's what to know about her cause of death.

Ananda passed away following a five-year battle with breast cancer. According to CNN, she had been living with the disease since 2020 and shared with the outlet that she was diagnosed with stage III cancer after she conducted a self-exam. Ananda publicly shared that she initially refused to have a mastectomy and other treatments and instead opted for alternative measures. By October 2024, her cancer had metastasized to stage IV.

In recent years, Ananda spoke out about her decision not to pursue traditional breast cancer treatment and said she reconsidered her plan once her cancer reached stage IV.

"My plan at first was to get out excessive toxins in my body," she explained to Blackdoctor.org's Souliberation. "I felt like my body is intelligent, I know that to be true. Our bodies are brilliantly made. I decided to keep my tumor and try to work it out of my body a different way. Looking back on that, I go, ‘You know what? Maybe I should have.’”

Ananda rose to fame in the 1990s. The Los Angeles, Calif. native, born in 1973, had a passion for the arts and media at a young age, graduating San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts, where she studied theater, music, photography and dance for nine years. After school, she attended Howard University, where she found her lane as a youth advocate and host. While in school, Ananda began mentoring teens as a youth activist, who later encouraged her to audition for Teen Summit.

Teen Summit resulted in Ananda becoming an MTV VJ on TRL and Hot Zone. She also hosted her own show, The Ananda Lewis Show from 2001 to 2002.