Joanne Rogers, widow of Fred Rogers, dies at 92

People

Rogers was a classical pianist who was married to the Mister Rogers' Neighborhood star for 50 years until his death at age 74 in 2003. In recent years, Rogers appeared in the documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor? and made a cameo in the Tom Hanks-led movie about her husband, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. "Fred Rogers Productions is deeply saddened by the passing of Joanne Rogers," the nonprofit organization said in a statement. "The loving partner of Fred Rogers for more than 50 years, she continued their shared commitment to supporting children and families after his death as chair of the board of Fred Rogers Productions. Joanne was a brilliant and accomplished musician, a wonderful advocate for the arts, and a dear friend to everyone in our organization. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Joanne's family and the thousands of people who had the privilege of knowing and loving her." Tom Junod, whose 1998 Esquire profile of Fred Rogers, inspired A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, tweeted that he last spoke to Joanne Rogers last week after the U.S. Capitol siege. "I called to give her comfort but of course I also call to receive comfort in return. And that’s how it always was," he tweeted. "There was nobody else who laughed like Joanne Rogers. There was nobody else who made kindness sound not like a burden but rather like a source of raucous pleasure. She was truly delightful, in both her capacity for delight and to be delighted, and nobody, not even Fred, was as good at calling out of the blue at the precise moment you needed to hear from her, with the sustenance of surprise. She was a friend whom I loved and love still.  And for the rest of my life I will both miss and draw strength from the fact that she loved me, and thought to tell me so every time we spoke.  God bless Mister and Mrs. Rogers, and may the both of them rest in peace."