Joan Rogers, widow of TV Mr. Rogers, dies at age 92

Mark Kennedy Associated Press

Joan Rogers, a seasoned concert pianist who celebrated and protected the legacy of her husband, beloved children’s television host Mr. Rogers, died in Pittsburgh. She was 92 years old.

According to the Fred Rogers Center, Rogers died on Thursday. The cause of death was not revealed. The center called her “a fun and tender spirit whose heart and wisdom have guided our work in serving Fred’s lasting heritage.”

“Fred Rogers Productions is deeply saddened by Joan Rogers’ death,” according to a statement by Fred Rogers Productions. “For over 50 years, Fred Rogers’ affectionate partner, she continued her common commitment to supporting children and her family after her death as chairman of the board of directors of Fred Rogers Productions.

“Joan was a talented and skilled musician, a great advocate of art, and a dear friend to everyone in our organization. What had the privilege of knowing and loving Joan’s family and her. We would like to express our deepest condolences to as many as a thousand people. “

Joan and Fred Rogers have been married for over 50 years and introduce Fred Rogers as an adult in a busy world who has always had time to listen from the launch to the end of the discreet, low-tech “Mister Rogers Neighborhood”. did. For children. His pull as America’s favorite neighbor seems to have not diminished before he died in 2003.

Joan Rogers told The Associated Press in 2018. “I can’t imagine when he needed it so much. Frankly, I think his work is as timely as it was when it was announced.”

Fred Rogers, a pastor of the ordained Presbyterian Church, produced a pioneering program on Pittsburgh’s public television station WQED in 1966 and began broadcasting it nationwide two years later. He composed his song for the show.

It provided children with a soft paradise, as opposed to a more noisy and more vibrant competition. The last episode of what his widow called “comfortable rap” aired in August 2001.

PBS stations across the country still broadcast “Mister Rogers Neighborhood”, some of which can be found on the PBS Kids video app. Amazon has a DVD collection and Amazon Prime has an episode stream.

Fred Rogers’ influence on popular culture was profound. Eddie Murphy spoofed him on Saturday Night Live in the 1980s, and one of Rogers’ trademark zip-up sweaters is on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. He had a category dedicated to him in “Jeopardy”.

In 2018, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of Rogers’ first appearance on TV screens, urging PBS specials, new stamps and feature-length documentary “Would you like to be my neighbor?” And a year later, the biography “Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” led by Tom Hanks.

Born in Sarajo Amberd in 1928, Joan Rogers met his future husband at Rollins College in Florida. After Fred Rogers’ death, she helped develop the Fred Rogers Center Center for Infant Media at St. Vincent University, home of Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

“Joan and Fred were Pennsylvania’s treasures dedicated to improving our community and the lives of our children. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf never forgets the legacy of their kindness in a statement. There will be no. “