- by James Jackson, PHILADELPHIA TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Ojeh, whose full name was Uchechukwuka Adenola Ojeh, was a consultant for IBM, Accenture and then worked with the IT department at The Philadelphia Tribune.
Allen Mailman, an advertising executive at the Tribune, will remember Ojeh for his straightforwardness.
“Uche was an incredible person; we all loved him,” Jones’ NBC co-hosts said on air. “There are no words for the pain that we feel for Sheinelle and their three young children.”
Al Roker delivered the tribute alongside Savannah Guthrie, Craig Melvin, Carson Daly, Dylan Dreyer and Jenna Bush Hager.
Online tributes also flowed in.
Katie Couric, a former “Today” show host who lost her husband to cancer, said on social media: “Sending so much love, support and sympathy to @sheinelle_o following the loss of her beloved husband Uche after a valiant struggle with glioblastoma.”
Jones took a leave of absence from the “Today” show last December.
In a January Instagram post, she shared that she was tending to a “family health matter.”
“It’s not lost on me how lucky I am to have not only the support of my Today Show family, but to also have all of you,” she wrote. “I’ll see you soon.”
Before joining the “Today” show, Jones began her broadcasting career in Springfield, Illinois. She later co-hosted “Good Day Philadelphia” on Fox 29.
Jones and Ojeh were married for 18 years. The couple met in the late 1990s while attending Northwestern University and later married in Jones’ hometown of Philadelphia.
The “Today” show said in a tribute that Ojeh was driven by “family, friends, and his deep sense of faith,” noting he spoke of his children whenever he had the chance.
He is survived by his son, Kayin, 15, and 12-year-old fraternal twins Clara and Uche.
Services were not announced.
