The ladies of The View are rallying around OG co-host Meredith Vieira amid the loss of her husband Richard Cohen, who died on Christmas Eve following a years-long battle with multiple sclerosis.

Host Joy Behar took some time out of this morning’s episode of The View to pay tribute to Cohen.

“A lot of people who watch the show remember Richard,” Behar said. “Meredith told us that it’s only fitting because he came into this world on Valentine’s Day so he left it on a holiday and it felt like perfect symmetry.”

“In his memoir Blindsided, Richard was refreshingly candid, even good-humored about the lifelong struggle with MS. He had multiple sclerosis for a long time and other health battles,” she continued. “I remember he had a cancer scare one time that was devastating to her and, of course, to him. But he never let illness control or define his life.”

Behar described Cohen as a “Renaissance man,” who was also an “accomplished” writer, TV producer, and three-time Emmy winner. He even appeared on several episodes of The View when his wife worked as a co-host from 1997 to 2006.

“Richard had a long history with us, too,” Behar said. “Once he got used to Meredith’s big mouth at the Hot Topics table, where she’d spill the tea about their sex life and reveal how she didn’t wear underwear. Then he got over it and he loved appearing on The View as a guest to tell his side of the story.”

The comedian said she and her husband “enjoyed hanging out” with Cohen outside of work, noting that he also “adored” Whoopi Goldberg and “got to know” Sara Haines when she worked at the Today Show before joining The View.

“Richard, who also became a grandfather this summer, was surrounded by family when he died,” Behar said. “It’s very sad and touching.”

“[Their] three adult children — Ben, Gabe, and Lily — came home to spend their entire month with him,” she added. “They’re a very, very close family. Our hearts go out to our beloved Meredith, as well as Richard’s family and many friends. A life well lived.”

The View airs on weekdays at 11/10c on ABC.