Katie Couric Pays Tribute to Late Husband Jay Monahan on 20th Anniversary of His Death

katie couric critics choice awards 2018
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The journalist's first husband tragically died at age 42 from colon cancer.

Kate Couric is honoring her late husband, Jay Monahan.

The journalist took to Instagram on Wednesday to pay tribute to her former partner, who died 20 years ago at age 42 from colon cancer.

Couric shared a heartwarming photo of Monahan posing with one of their two children, daughters Ellie, now 26, and Caroline, 22. "Jay Monahan," she captioned it. "January 9, 1956-January 24, 1998. Twenty years ago today. We miss you."

The 61-year-old author has been an advocate for colon cancer awareness ever since the death of her husband. Couric, who also lost her sister, Emily, to pancreatic cancer in 2001, famously underwent a colonoscopy on-air in March 2000, and then a mammogram in 2005, in hopes of raising awareness about cancer prevention.

Today, Couric is happily remarried to banker John Molner. They tied the knot in a small, private ceremony at their home in the Hamptons in June 2014.

While chatting with ET last year, Couric said she feels "really lucky" to have him by her side.

"I feel really lucky because he's funny and kind and really smart and great company," she gushed. "You know, you forget how important it is just to enjoy being with the person."

"You really appreciate it when you enjoy being with that person," she added. "So, I'm really happy."

Hear more from the exclusive interview in the video below.

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