Mr. Rogers’ Death, 22 Years Later: Look Back at the Iconic Host’s Final Days — and His Emotional Last Message to Longtime Fans

Fred Rogers is stil remembered for his dedication to instilling kindness, compassion and self-esteem in kids 22 years after his death.

The iconic host of the children’s program Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and ordained minister died in February 2003, but the memory of his work and life lessons live on.

A pioneer in children’s television, Rogers created, wrote and hosted 895 episodes starting in 1968. Over three decades, young viewers were transported to the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, where Mr. Rogers discussed innermost emotions and broader topics, including poverty and divorce.

Rogers cared deeply about the children his show touched, striving to spread kindness and make the world a better place. “People were important to him,” Rogers’ wife, Joanne Rogers, told PEOPLE in November 2019. “He was to me and to the family who he is to everybody else.”

Throughout his career, Rogers was nationally lauded for his public service. He was honored with the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences lifetime achievement award in 1997 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush in 2002, among dozens of other notable accolades. His show was so formative for many that he was satirized by Eddie Murphy on Saturday Night Live.

Today, Rodgers continues to be remembered through foundations and institutes founded in his name to documentaries and movies inspired by him — including a 2019 biopic starring Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.

On the 22nd anniversary of his death, here’s a look at Fred Rogers' life, how the public reacted to his passing and how his legacy of kindness endures.

How did Mr. Rogers die?

Mr. Rogers died of stomach cancer in February 2003, just months after being diagnosed.

His wife Joanne told Cancer Today that Rogers was experiencing symptoms that he didn’t recognize as signs of stomach cancer. By the time he was diagnosed in late 2002, the cancer had spread.

“He was having a good deal of indigestion. He was very careful about what he ate ... but it wasn’t until it became painful [that he addressed it],” she told the outlet. “And then when the doctor did an endoscopy and learned it was stomach cancer, it was already too late."

When did Mr. Rogers die?

Rogers died in the early hours of Feb. 27, 2003.

After being diagnosed with stomach cancer in late 2002, Rogers was still committed to his role as a public figure and role model for children. Despite experiencing pain from his diagnosis, he attended the New Year’s Day Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif., the month before his death, according to Cancer Today.

When he returned to Pittsburgh after the event, Rogers underwent stomach surgery and spent 10 days in the hospital. Following his release, Rogers went back home and immediately started playing his piano because he missed it so much, Joanne told CBS News in October 2003.

The TV personality spent his final days surrounded by his family.

Where did Mr. Rogers die?

Rogers died at his Pittsburgh home, actor and family spokesman David Newell — who played Mr. McFeely in Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood — told The New York Times.

He is buried in his family’s mausoleum at Unity Cemetery in his hometown of Latrobe, Penn.  His wife, Joanne, was buried alongside him after her death in 2021.

How old was Mr. Rogers when he died?

Rogers was 74 years old at the time of his death.

How did the public react to Mr. Rogers death?

As a fixture of many generations’ childhoods, Rogers’ death was mourned by the masses.

For young fans of his show, Rogers’ production company, Family Communications (now known as Fred Rogers Productions), upheld his commitment to supporting kids and teaching them lessons about their feelings — including those related to death. The day Rogers’ died, the production company posted a special message on its website to help parents broach the subject with their children.

“Children have always known Mister Rogers as their ‘television friend,’ and that relationship doesn't change with his death,” the site read, per The New York Times. “Remember that Fred Rogers has always helped children know that feelings are natural and normal, and that happy times and sad times are part of everyone's life.”

The public and the media wrote countless blog posts and obituaries as they mourned Rogers. His friends and colleagues spoke in his memory, honoring him and the impact he had.

“He was the first and the last of his kind – there’s never going to be another like him,” longtime friend Bob Keeshan, who played fellow kids' persona Captain Kangaroo, told the New York Post in February 2003. “He was a wonderful, wonderful human being.”

In March 2003, just days after his death, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution honoring Rogers for his “his legendary service to the improvement of the lives of children, his steadfast commitment to demonstrating the power of compassion, and his dedication to spreading kindness through example.”

Throughout her life and after Rogers’ passing, his wife Joanne was adamant about portraying Rogers as a real person — rather than placing him on a pedestal — despite all the good he had done.

“He’s out there now as somebody who’s somehow way above all the rest of us,” she told the Los Angeles Times in November 2019. “People invariably say, ‘Well, I can’t do that, but I sure do admire him. I would love to do it.’ Well, you can do it. I’m convinced there are lots of Fred Rogerses out there.”

What legacy did Mr. Rogers leave behind?

Rogers left behind a lasting legacy of kindness, compassion and the lessons he instilled in children across the country — from self-esteem to imagination, creativity and curiosity.

In March 2021, the Presbyterian Church commemorated the inaugural Mister Rogers Day and created the tradition of “Neighboring Sunday” in his memory. Later that same year, in November, his wife’s alma mater, Rollins College, unveiled a statue dedicated to Rogers.

Meanwhile, the Fred Rogers Company (formerly Family Communications, which produced Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood) continues the work started by Rogers.

To this day, it produces original children’s shows “rooted in [Mister Rogers’] philosophy and approach” that are designed to “build on his legacy with millions of today’s children,” the company’s president and CEO Paul Siefken told Pittsburgh Union Progress in February 2023.

Before her death in 2021, Rogers’ wife Joanne served as the primary steward of Rogers’ legacy, as the chair emerita of Fred Rogers Productions and the honorary chair of the Fred Rogers Institute. She also played a large role in the production and promotion of the 2019 film, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, visiting the set almost every day, per The New York Times.

While his work has been carried on by others, Rogers also recorded one final message to his adult fans who remembered him from childhood and were passing his show down to their children, per PBS News.

“I would like to tell you what I often told you when you were much younger. I like you just the way you are,” he said in a message recorded a few months before his death. “And what’s more, I’m so grateful to you for helping the children in your life to know that you’ll do everything you can to keep them safe ... It’s such a good feeling to know that we’re lifelong friends.”

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