Katie Couric pays tribute to late husband Jay Monahan on 20th anniversary of his death

Desiree Murphy‍

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."

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Jay Monahan January 9, 1956- January 24, 1998 Twenty years ago today. We miss you.

A post shared by Katie Couric (@katiecouric) on Jan 24, 2018 at 6:04am PST

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.

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You probably know someone who has been diagnosed with cancer, if you haven't had to contend with it yourself. As many of you know, in 1998, I lost my husband, Jay, to colon cancer. Three years later, I lost my sister, Emily, to pancreatic cancer. I felt so powerless as I watched this disease take the lives of two people who meant the world to me. I wanted to help spare other families the terrible heartbreak mine had endured, and I realized that new treatments had to be developed more quickly for the patients who needed them. With guidance from the smartest scientists and the support of the entire entertainment community, nine of us started @su2c to help do that. Nine years later, our researchers, doctors, patients and donors are rewriting what is possible by collaborating on cutting-edge treatments that are literally saving lives. Swipe through for survivors who have been helped by @SU2C research: Jacob Teel, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia; Trina Taylor, Colon Cancer; David Gobin, Lung Cancer; and Karen Taphorn, Melanoma. I invite you to join our movement that is ending cancer as we know it. With 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women getting some form of cancer in their lifetimes, the need is urgent. We are all about the science. 100% of every donation received by SU2C directly funds lifesaving research. This holiday season, please click the link in the bio to donate if you can. Thank you so much for your support. To get regular updates on Stand Up To Cancer’s work, visit http://www.standuptocancer.org/subscribe #StandUpToCancer #SU2C #LetsBeatCancer #FightCancer #cancersucks #cancersurvivor #cancersurvivors #MyCaregiverStory #caregiver #supportacaregiver #caregiverappreciation #Cancer #cancers

A post shared by Katie Couric (@katiecouric) on Dec 29, 2017 at 9:29am PST

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."

See photos of Katie Couric and her late husband together:



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