The Heartbreaking Death Of Katie Couric's First Husband, Jay Monahan

In 1997, Monahan received a devastating colon cancer diagnosis, with Couric admitting to Fox News it turned her life upside down. "The grief started there," Couric revealed to the Death, Sex & Money podcast. The news anchor described Monahan's illness as "excruciating." Although Couric felt like her world was falling apart, she made sure to never break down in front of her husband, which is something the journalist regrets, admitting, "I think I overprotected him." 

Couric even revealed she asked his doctors not to tell the lawyer how bad the situation was, reasoning, "I didn't want to ruin the time he had left with just hopelessness." Now, though, Katie Couric realizes she should've been more honest with him, to ensure the couple had a proper chance to say goodbye. The cancer subsequently spread to Monahan's liver, and he died within nine months, in 1998, at the age of just 42 (via Health).