Joanne Rogers, widow of television icon Mister Rogers, died at 92

Joanne Rogers, the widow of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” host Fred Rogers, died Thursday at the age of 92.

Her death was announced by her late husband’s production company on Twitter.

“Fred Rogers Productions is deeply saddened by the passing of Joanne Rogers. A loving partner of Fred Rogers for over 50 years, she continued her shared commitment to supporting children and families after her death as Chair of the Board of Directors of Fred Rogers Productions. the company wrote.

“Joanne was a brilliant and accomplished musician, a tremendous advocate for the arts, and a dear friend to everyone in our organization. We extend our deepest condolences to Joanne’s family and to the thousands of people who have had the privilege of knowing and loving her.

Her beloved husband, who hosted the children’s show from 1968 to 2001, died in 2003 at the age of 74. The couple married in 1952.

The city of Pittsburgh, where the show was filmed, also greeted Joanne in a tweet, calling her the city’s “favorite neighbor” and acknowledging that the duo “forever changed our city”.

After her death, Joanne continued to promote the legacy of her late husband, who was portrayed in a charming 2019 biopic, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”, starring Tom Hanks. She said her entertaining husband would have enjoyed the movie, say on page six during a screening, “I think he would have really loved it, right?”

The couple were particularly tight-knit, and Joanne once said that Fred’s charms sometimes manifest themselves in a quirky way. She said that when they attended less than exciting events together, he would make her smile by farting in front of her. “He was just lifting a cheek and he was looking at me with a smile,” she said with a laugh during an interview with the Los Angeles Times in 2019.

The couple are survived by two sons, James and John, as well as two grandchildren, according to the Pittsburgh Business Times.