TODAY anchors shed tears on Friday morning as they opened up about the death of co-host Sheinelle Jones’ husband, who they remembered as her “perfect partner in life.”
Uche Ojeh, Sheinelle’s husband of 17 years, died following a battle with brain cancer at just 45.
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Savannah Guthrie’s voice broke and her eyes welled as she told Today viewers about the sad news on Friday morning.
“There are no words for the pain we feel for Sheinelle and their three young children,” she said.
“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.”
Craig Melvin said that he was close friends with Ojeh and had just played golf with him this past fall.
He remembered how passionate the dad was about his and Sheinelle’s three children, and broke down as he said, “he loved those kids more than anything else in this world.”
“He was that dad that was on the sidelines at every soccer game. He was at all the concerts and recitals. He was that guy,” Melvin said.
The emotional panel all agreed that Jones has been valiantly taking care of her family since she quietly stepped away from the NBC morning show in December.
“She found the grace in the grief, which is not easy,” said Jenna Bush Hagar, who described how Jones has never lost her humor through the battle.
“I know when we’ve all spoken to her, we’ve just been completely inspired.”
Carson Daly opened up about losing his father to cancer when he was just five years old, and said there were still blessings despite the tragedy.
“Eventually God gave me two incredible fathers, incredible figures in my life, and my life has been so fulfilling,” he said.
“So I pray for their family and for the kids that they’ll have that fortune as well.”
Guthrie said that Ojeh had a deep faith and you “could see it in his eyes” throughout his health battle.
“He was an extraordinary person. We love him and we love you Sheinelle,” she said.
Jones shared a video of Today’s announcement on social media and captioned it “Thank you for all of your life and support.”
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ONCE IN A LIFETIME ROMANCE
Ojeh met his future wife when he was just 17 years old. He was a prospective student visiting Northwestern University, and Jones, who was a freshman at the time, gave him a campus tour.
The couple dated for eight years before Ojeh proposed on their alma mater’s campus, and they were married in 2007.
While Jones traveled across the US working in TV news, Ojeh built a successful career in consulting, but “family friends and his deep and unabiding faith were always his true north,” Guthrie said.
Outside of his family, Ojeh stayed busy playing soccer and hanging out with his close-knit crew of friends that he kept from college, the anchors said.
He was also passionate about his Nigerian heritage and taught kids Kayin, Uche, and Clara about their ancestors.
Just two years before his death, Ojeh completed a triathlon and cheered on his wife as she ran the New York City marathon weeks before.
FANS SEND PRAYERS
Fans were worried for Jones when she announced that she was taking a step back from the show in January because of a “family health matter.”
“It’s not lost on me how lucky I am to have not only the support of my Today Show family, but to also have all of you,” she said on social media.
“Your kindness means so much to me. I’ll see you soon.”
Now, fans are sharing their condolences and sending their prayers as the star mourns the death of her partner.
“My deepest and most profound condolences,” wrote one fan.
“Lifting up you, your children, and your family with my love and prayers. May you be comforted by the beautiful memories that you and Uche made together and may he always be with you.”
Another person said, “Covering you and your family with prayer.”
“Lifting you, your children, and every life touched up in prayer as you process this incredible loss,” wrote another fan.
“I’m so very sorry you have to experience this.”
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Content shared from www.the-sun.com.