Jazz musician Joe Negri — known for his role as the beloved musical handyman on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” — has died. He was 99 years old.
Negri’s oldest daughter, Lisa Negri, said her father died Saturday of natural causes, Trib Live reported.
He was just days away from celebrating his 100th birthday on June 10.
A Pittsburgh native, Negri was born in 1926 and had been a musician since early childhood, when his father gifted him a ukulele at age 3, according to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
He then started playing guitar at age 8 and by 16 was already touring the country with swing bands, the outlet reported.
In the following years, Negri performed on local radio programs and played clubs for dancers such as Fred and Gene Kelly before branching out into other instruments and performing for larger audiences, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
But it was his role as “Handyman Negri” on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” that made him a household name. The lifelong musician appeared on the show for its entire run, spanning 31 seasons from 1968 to 2001, according to the show’s website.
“The handyman doesn’t just fix things — he also fixes problems. I hope children see me as someone they can trust,” he said of his character.
Before landing the iconic role, Negri had nearly passed on it, later reflecting in an interview that Fred Rogers — who died in 2003 — had originally persuaded him to join the show.
“I got a call, and he said, ‘Hey Joe, how would you like to come on my new show and be the handyman?’” Negri told WQED back in 2018.
“I said, ‘Oh Fred, you’re kidding! I’m not a handyman at all! I don’t even know how to nail a nail straight!’ He said, ‘Don’t worry about a thing, it’s just gonna be pretend. And it was pretend, and it was wonderful, and it lasted for 35 years!”
Over the course of the show, Negri’s character took on a larger role — running “Negri’s Music Shop” and performing alongside legends including Wynton Marsalis, Johnny Costa and Yo-Yo Ma.
“I’m glad he gave me the music shop because it gave me a really good opportunity to utilize my music,” Negri told KDKA-TV.
Beyond “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” Negri was beloved as a jazz guitar teacher for more than 50 years at the University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne and Carnegie Mellon University.
In 2019, he retired from teaching and was honored with a Lifetime Achievement in the Arts award from the state of Pennsylvania for his dedication to the community.
“It’s been a great life,” Negri told The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
“I’ve really enjoyed teaching and am very proud to be one of the originals to bring jazz guitar into schools.”
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