"She could rock out, from Obama to Lil' Kim to whatever" — Former MTV VJ Bill Bellamy pays tribute to his ex-colleague Ananda Lewis

Broadcast journalist Ananda Lewis lost her life following a long battle with cancer. Although she is no more, her memory is certainly alive among the people she worked with, including former MTV VJ Bill Bellamy.

The host, who now does stand-up comedy shows, sat down with TMZ and talked about Lewis. He remembered her as someone with a kind and comforting presence. He said she was easy to be around and never acted overly serious or distant.

Bill Bellamy shared that when Ananda Lewis joined MTV, it felt exciting because there were now two Black hosts representing the culture on a major network. He said they both understood the significance of their roles and took pride in using the platform to represent their community positively and intelligently.

While she covered music content, she also stood out for her powerful interviews. He compared her to Barbara Walters. Speaking about Ananda Lewis’ impressive ability to converse and carry out interviews, he said:

“She could rock out from Obama to Lil’ Kim to whatever, you know. She was nice like that. And so, for me, you know, I was rooted for her because I just thought that you know, this is what we need to see.”

He said her beauty stood out, but what mattered was the person she was inside. Bellamy felt heartbroken over the news of her passing because she had always been genuine and gave her best to others.

Bill Bellamy reached out to Ananda Lewis after he learnt that she had breast cancer

He recalled fond memories of working with her at events like the VMAs and the MTV Beach House, and he appreciated that her efforts were being recognized.

Bellamy planned to look back at their old videos together and felt grateful to have known her, believing that many others likely felt the same way about the positive impact she left behind.

Bill Bellamy said he had learned about Ananda Lewis's breast cancer through a mutual friend. When he reached out to her, she reassured him that she was doing okay and focusing on natural treatments, including a healthy diet.

At the time, he trusted what she said, admitting he didn’t know much about the situation. He also spoke about their shared history, explaining that they rose to fame around the same time.

He was on MTV while Ananda Lewis was on BET’s Teen Summit, and although they were on different networks, there was a sense of rivalry between the platforms.

He recalled how Teen Summit was an important show for young people and how Lewis stood out as a smart, talented, and radiant presence who made a lasting impression.

Meanwhile, speaking to CNN last year, she shared that her view of healing grew over time. At first, she only focused on a small part of it, but as time went on, more parts of her life started to improve. She felt that true healing had to include everything she was going through.

Also Read: How did Ananda Lewis die? Former MTV VJ’s cause of death explored as she passes away at 52

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