TV icon Fred Rogers' wife, Joanne Rogers, dead at 92

Jan. 14 (UPI) -- Joanne Rogers, the wife of the late children's television icon Fred Rogers, has died, a representative said Thursday. She was 92.

"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," the organization said in a statement Thursday.

"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 to the thousands of people who had the privilege of knowing and loving her."

No cause of death was disclosed.

Joanne was seen campaigning for President-elect Joe Biden in recent months.

"I think we all need somebody like Biden who can give us little pats on the back," she said.

The city of Pittsburgh -- the Rogers' longtime hometown -- called Joanne one of its "favorite neighbors."

"Joanne & Fred forever changed our city. Thank you for your dedication to @FredRogersPro, @wqed, our children, & our community," the city's Twitter feed said.

Fred Rogers hosted Mister Rogers Neighborhood from 1968 to 2001. He died of stomach cancer in 2003 at the age of 74.

Tom Hanks and Maryann Plunkett played Fred Rogers and Joanne Rogers in the 2019 biopic, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.

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