On June 12, CNN correspondent Stephanie Elam, Ananda Lewis’s lifelong friend and Howard University classmate, shared Lewis’s final text to her.

Elam tearfully revealed, alongside her fellow CNN co-host Sara Sidner, that the message exemplified Lewis's serenity and acceptance of life’s end.

Lewis, a former BET host (and icon) and MTV VJ‑turned‑talk‑show host and beloved media figure, died on June 11, at the age of 52 after a multi-year battle with stage IV breast cancer. Throughout her high‑profile career—most notably hosting Total Request Live and her self‑titled talk show—Lewis was open about her health journey, advocating for awareness and self‑care.

The message read:

“You know my feelings on this. We all go. These bodies are on loan and must be returned. We come in love and choose to leave it with love as well. I love you my wonderful lifelong bestie of besties.” 

Elam noted how abruptly Lewis’s decline accelerated—what was expected to span weeks unfolded in mere hours. She emphasized Lewis’s unwavering peace with her treatment path, despite choosing a holistic route instead of the more conventional approach of double mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation. 

Lewis’s decision to forego invasive procedures was extensively discussed during a roundtable in October 2024. Sidner, who was also diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023, opted for traditional treatment. 

Born in 1973 in San Diego, Lewis gained fame in the late ’90s and was dubbed “the hip‑hop generation’s reigning It Girl” by The New York Times. Off-camera, she was a devoted mother to her teenage son, Langston, and remained close with friends who described her as a “ride or die” friend with “good energy and joy.”

Her candor about cancer—dating back to her stage III diagnosis in 2020—and her encouragement for women to stay vigilant on preventative health underscored her legacy.

Ananda Lewis will be remembered not just for her on‑screen presence, but for her courage, her friendship, and her heartfelt reflections on life and mortality.