“Today” Co-Host Sheinelle Jones’ Husband Has Died At 45 Due To An “Aggressive” Form Of Brain Cancer
“There are no words for the pain we feel for Sheinelle and their three young children.”
Uche Ojeh, Sheinell Jones‘ husband of 17 years, has died following an incurable brain cancer diagnosis. He was 45.
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Sheinelle’s Today co-hosts broke the tragic news early this morning on the show. Craig Melvin, Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker, Jenna Bush Hager, Carson Daly, and Dylan Dreyer sat together for a tearful tribute to Uche, and the love he shared with Sheinelle, 47.
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“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 said.
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“Glioblastoma is the most common primary brain cancer, or cancer that starts in the brain, with around 12,000 cases diagnosed in the United States each year,” according to MD Anderson Cancer Center. “All glioblastomas are grade IV brain tumors, meaning they contain the most abnormal-looking cells and are the most aggressive.”
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“As glioblastoma grows, it forms microscopic branches that can spread into different parts of the brain. These branches make it nearly impossible to remove the entire tumor with surgery. In addition, a single tumor contains many different types of cells, so a drug that works for some cells may not successfully treat the entire tumor.”
“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.”
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Their fairytale love story began at Northwestern University, in the late 1990s when Sheinelle was an 18-year-old freshman. At the time, Uche was a visiting high school senior, whom Sheinelle thought was cute. She pretended to be a tour guide as a way to meet him, and the rest is history.
They went on to date for eight years before the triathlete popped the question during a storm at their alma mater. Sheinelle and Uche wed in 2007 in her hometown of Philadelphia. In 2009, they welcomed their first child together, a baby boy named Kayin, in August 2009. They later had twins, son Uche and daughter Clara, who were born three years later in July 2012.
“One thing he always talked about — he talked about those kids,” Craig 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.”
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Sheinelle shared the full tribute on her Instagram with the caption, “Thank you, for all your love and support.”
Sheinelle has been noticeably absent from the Today show since mid-December. Although she didn’t give much detail as to why, in January, she shared a cryptic update, revealing she was dealing with a “family health matter” and would see everyone “soon.” She went on to thank her fans and the Today show family for the supportive messages.
Fans have grown worrisome since then, but her colleagues have tried to give as many updates on Sheinelle as they could, while still protecting her privacy.
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