Ananda Lewis, a popular host from the MTV “veejay” era in the late ’90s … died on Wednesday after a lengthy breast cancer battle.

The news was broken by her sister Lakshmi on Facebook, who celebrated the end of Ananda’s suffering in an emotional post.

Lakshmi tells TMZ Hip Hop … Ananda died from stage 4 breast cancer at 11:35 AM on Wednesday while in hospice at her Los Angeles home.

Lakshmi tell us she braved the diagnosis for 6 years and even tried out some conventional/some unconventional treatments … choosing her own path.

We’re told her family has heard from a lot of celebs already who want to speak on how Ananda influenced their careers and handled her interviews so well with them at her memorial, which will be in a few weeks.

Lakshmi tells us Ananda’s 14-year-old son graduated middle school today … a terribly bittersweet day.