It’s a sad day in the neighborhood.
Fred Rogers, who left an indelible impression on millions of children as the nurturing host of his long-lived children’s show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, died Thursday in his home in Pittsburgh, Penn. after battling stomach cancer, Reuters reports. He was 74.
As an ordained Presbyterian minister, Rogers felt television could be used to reach children and lift the human spirit. Rogers wanted to also tackle important subjects for children, including death and violence on television, including the TV news.
During the Gulf War a decade ago, Reuters reports Rogers made a public service announcement that told parents: “Children aren’t responsible for wars. The least, and the best, we adults can do is to let our children know that we’ll take good care of them, no matter what.”
Rogers began his career doing puppet voices for a local children’s show on PBS affiliate WQED in Pittsburgh, and in 1968 his show became available to PBS stations across the country, making Rogers a TV icon.
Reuters reports that the show became the longest running children’s program on public television. Rogers taped his last program in December 2000, and the final episode aired in August 2001. Earlier programs continue to run on PBS.
Rogers is survived by his wife, Joanne, their two sons and two grandsons.
