Beloved ‘Today’ Co-Host Faces Another Family Loss Months After Husband’s Passing

Sheinelle Jones is going through a tough phase in her life. Jones is mourning the loss of her grandmother, Josephine Vonceal Pace Brown, months after losing her husband, Uche Ojeh. The “Today with Jenna & Sheinelle” co-host shared the news in an Instagram post on Saturday, January 3.

Brown passed away early on New Year’s Eve at age 96. Her death comes seven months after Ojeh passed away in May 2025 following a battle with glioblastoma. “It is with the heaviest heart that I announce the sudden passing of my grandmother,” Jones wrote.

“Anyone who knows me knows that ‘Grandmama,’ Josephine Vonceal Pace Brown, was my world; my best buddy, my confidante, and my unapologetic cheerleader.”

Sheinelle Honors Her ‘Best Buddy’ and Lifelong Cheerleader

Jones spoke about the close bond she shared with her grandmother, sharing how she was a steady source of support and encouragement throughout her life.

She added that now she plans to share more memories “in time,” and reflected on how her grandmother’s confidence in her helped guide her path.

In her moving post, Jones recalled that Brown stood firmly behind her when she said, as a fifth grader, that she wanted to become a news reporter.

“What makes our relationship extra special is the fact that she was so attentive, beyond the backdrop of a highly successful life of her own,” Jones wrote.

A Legacy of Education, Music, and Service

Jones pointed to her grandmother’s remarkable life of service and creativity, noting that Brown broke barriers as the first Black woman elected to her community’s Board of Education. She was also a classically trained pianist and spent decades leading the music ministry at Jones’ church.

Jones added that her grandmother founded A.R.I.S.E., African Americans Renewing Interest in Spirituals Ensemble, a choir that remains active today and has performed widely, from Washington, D.C., to Paris.

Talking about both grandparents, Jones said they “exemplified what it means to squeeze the most out of life and to give.”

Jones reflected on how the losses she has gone through over the past year and a half have deeply shifted her perspective, following the deaths of both her husband and her grandmother.

“Life is so precious, and I can’t help but to be changed by the last year and a half,” she wrote.

She ended her tribute with a heartfelt message: “Heaven has gained a new choir director, and our family, a new angel.”

Finding Strength After Her Husband’s Death

Jones previously spoke about her husband’s death for the first time during a pre-recorded interview with Savannah Guthrie that aired on “Today” on September 5.

She described Ojeh’s passing as “a beautiful nightmare,” adding, “My heart is shattered in a million pieces. The life that I’ve known since I was 19 is no more.”

Jones said she is taking life “day to day” as she supports her children, son Kayin, 16, and twins Clara and Uche, 13.

“Cancer doesn’t have to steal our joy,” she said. “We can get up, we can get out of bed, and we can go to work, we can go to school, we can squeeze the most out of the days that we have.”

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