Ananda Lewis, a staple of MTV’s golden era, died this week after a lengthy battle with breast cancer. She was 52. In the years leading up to her death, the beloved TV personality stirred controversy by opting for alternative treatments instead of a doctor-recommended double mastectomy — a decision she stood by until the end,

Ananda Lewis, who died this week at the age of 52, told it to me backstage at TRL in 2001.

Lewis first announced that she was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer in an Instagram video shared in October 2020.