In an emotional interview with TheGrio’s Natasha S. Alford, CNN anchor Sara Sidner reflects on the loss of Ananda Lewis,

After Lewis passed away following a prolonged struggle with breast cancer, Elam and CNN colleague Sara Sidner, who is also battling breast cancer, delivered a heartfelt on-air tribute to their departed friend.

Ananda Lewis, a former MTV VJ who connected a generation of music fans to their favorite celebrities on the music network, has died at age 52 from breast cancer. CNN’s Sara Sidner and Stephanie Elam shared an emotional tribute about their friend on CNN.

Before Ananda Lewis died, she texted her best friend Stephanie Elam, “we come in love and choose to leave it with love as well.”

Ananda Lewis was one of MTV’s best personalities in the late 1990s. After pursuing her own hosting career in the 2000s, she became an advocate for women’s health when she was