Joanne Rogers, the widow of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” host Fred Rogers, died Thursday at the age of 92.
Her passing was announced by her late husband’s producer on Twitter.
“Fred Rogers Productions is deeply saddened by the passing of Joanne Rogers. Fred Rogers’ loving partner for more than 50 years, she continued her shared commitment to support children and families after her death as chairman of Fred Rogers Productions. ” the company wrote.
“Joanne was a brilliant and talented musician, a wonderful advocate for the arts and a dear friend to everyone in our organization. We express our most sincere condolences to the family of Joanne and to the thousands of people who had the privilege of meeting and loving her. “
Her beloved husband, who presented the children’s program 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 one of the city’s “favorite neighbors” and acknowledging that the pair “changed our city forever”.
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 that her amusing husband would have enjoyed the film, counting to page six on an exhibition, “I think he would have really loved it, wouldn’t he?”
The couple was especially close, and Joanne once said that Fred’s charms sometimes appeared in peculiar ways. She said that when they attended un-exciting events together, he would make her smile farting in front of her. “He just lifted a cheek and looked at me and smiled,” she said, laughing, during an interview with the Los Angeles Times in 2019.
The couple have two children, James and John, as well as two grandchildren, according to the Pittsburgh Business Times.
