Sheinelle Jones’ Husband Uche Ojeh Has Died of Brain Cancer
The TODAY co-host and her husband of 17 years first met as young students in Chicago.
Sheinelle Jones’ husband Uche Ojeh has passed away at the age of 45 after a battle with brain cancer.
Savannah Guthrie shared on TODAY on Friday, May 23, that Ojeh had been diagnosed with glioblastoma, an “aggressive” type of brain cancer.
“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,” Guthrie said, seated next to Craig Melvin, Carson Daly, Al Roker, Jenna Bush Hager, and Dylan Dreyer.
“There are no words for the pain we feel for Sheinelle and their three young children," she continued. "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.”
The couple first met as young students in the late ‘90s at Northwestern University in Chicago. “I was a fake tour guide ... I was just walking to class,” Jones shared in an interview with Northwestern Magazine in 2024. “[I was like, ‘Are you guys lost?’ And] I told him I would take him around because he was cute."
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After eight years of dating, Jones and Ojeh tied the knot on September 2, 2007. The TODAY co-host and her husband of 17 years then welcomed three children together: a son named Kayin, born in August 2009, followed by twins, son Uche and daughter Clara, in July 2012.
Ojeh had been a managing partner with UAO Consulting for over 17 years. He was also passionate about soccer and teaching their children about their Nigerian heritage. One thing he and Jones really loved doing was wearing traditional Nigerian clothing with their family. "I think it is important to my husband that my kids are brought up knowing his side and his culture," Jones previously shared on TODAY. "So, I actually am happy that every year — and even more than every year, whenever we get together — they get new native wear because as they continue to grow, they continue to get new outfits."
Above all, Ojeh was a devoted and loving father. “One thing he always talked about — he talked about those kids,” Melvin said on May 23. “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.”
Jones also took to Instagram on May 23 to share her gratitude for her TODAY family, writing, “Thank you, for all of your love and support ❤️.”
