He will be so deeply missed, and it’s not his passing in and of itself that makes me sad. As Apos posted earlier, death and loss is one of the many topics he addressed in his show, and I take great comfort in my many many positive memories of the man and his wonderful show.
What’s sad to me is that there will never be anything like his show again. The show was like an oasis of calm amidst all the noise of television. Always positive in a quiet, intelligent, caring way, the man could have translated his fame into a marketing empire and made a fortune. He could have capitalized on his fame and his hold on kids. He didn’t. And now that almost all kids programming is flashy and loud and aggressive, it makes me appreciate the kindness and genuine compassion that went into his show.
He didn’t need catchy songs, or costumes, or high tech graphics. He actually taught kids about their world, and he did it in a way that was never aggressive or self-aggrandizing.
A truly good man, fully deserving of this outpouring of love. He was a devoted advocate for kids, and as an icon of youth entertainment, he had a better understanding of children’s needs and psychology than most people in his field.
His contribution was an important one; he touched a lot of lives.
In a previous life in public television, we used to always watch the live feed come down the network of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood.
Well, there goes the neighborhood, …
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Any chance we could duct tape Michael Jackson to a chair and force him to watch Mr. Rogers Neighborhood (a la “Clockwork Orange”)?
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How sad. I feel blessed that I grew up with the show-- it was one of two I was allowed to watch as a child (that and Sesame Street). He was such a soothing, calming and utterly kind figure. My group at work has been exchanging emails about it, and my boss said:
It’s weird to grieve for someone I never met, but I do.
I love Mr. Rogers. Always will. There is no one anymore who generates such positivity for kids. He was a bastion of decency in a crazed world full of mixed messages and depressing nonsense. When I was sick last year, I watched his show daily and happily succumbed to his gentle sweetness and childlike fun. No matter how old he was, he was always able to become a child, to ask the questions a child would ask, without being phony or condescending.
What ticks me off is, when I told my seniors he died, some jerk had to say that Mr. Rogers was creepy. Are kids today so jaded and cynical that they cannot recognize and appreciate true goodness when they see it?
Rest in peace, Mr. Rogers. God broke the mold when he made you.
The last new episode of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” was made something like 10 years ago. They’ve been showing repeats for years and, I imagine, will continue to do so for many more years. I doubt the show will go away any time soon.
On a more personal note, I went to school in Pittsburgh, and there were always rumors that Mr Rogers occasionally lived in an off-campus apartment. About 5 years ago, my then-girlfriend lived in that building, just down the hall from the “supposed” apartment. One day, she finally saw him there, gushed to him, and got an autographed picture out of it. Now I have to call and see if she’s heard.
You know what? As he would no doubt point out, it’s still a beautiful day in the neighborhood. We just have to find other people to share it with now, and be neighborly with.
Thanks for everything, Mr. Rogers. We’ll be thinking of you.
A rare fighter for the genuine in a world of the slick, fake, and commercialized. I’m glad he managed to get a TV show and make so many people’s lives just a little bit better.
I just randomly tuned into his show just a few weeks ago, and was surprised by how much I still enjoyed it, as opposed to a lot of kids’ shows that don’t have any lasting value.
Today is a painful day indeed. Mr. Rogers has taken his leave of us. The same Mr. Rogers who taught me the virtue of cooperation, sharing, and imagination. Though I still grew up to be selfish, cynical, and unimaginative, I get immense comfort from the fact that Mr. Rogers thought I was special. When he said that he liked me for me… I really believed it. Mr. Rogers wasn’t one of today’s gutless feel-good childrens’ show hosts, though. He had to have gigantic, swinging balls to bring up the sensative subjects he addressed . Who could we always count on to deal with issues like nightmares, death, fecal matter, and emotional pain? Mr. MotherFucking Rogers, that’s who. As he rides that ghostly trolly into whatever lies beyond, I think it appropriate that we, the living, take a moment to reflect on his message.
Goodbye Mr. Rogers. May your sweaters continue to envelop you beyond the grave.
When I heard about this in the wee hours of the morning, all I could remember was the sweater, the shoes, the town from the opening sequence, the cat puppet who I think was named Daniel, and what might have been a stoplight in his house. I’d forgotten everything else. I’d forgotten that it was called “the world of make-believe.”
Then, when I read this thread it all came back to me and I got teared up. You really don’t know what you have until it’s gone.
I remember one show where he showed the model set that was used during the shows opening. He always liked to explain to kids exactly what was happening. Not a deceptive bone in his body.
A couple of years ago, I heard an episode of “This American Life” about Mr. Rogers. A young adult who had grown up with the show got an interview with him. They talked about the interviewer’s current neighborhood, the people in it, and the problems they were having living together, and Mr. Rogers offered advice. It was incredibly moving, and he came across as a gentle, caring man. What I thought was interesting was that, even though his advice seemed rather simple and sunny, if you know what I mean, it worked well, and the neighborhood was a better place.
I hope “This American Life” links the show off their homepage this week.
Thank you Mr. Rogers. Ironically, your death has reminded me of all your wonderful life-lessons. I can’t think of any modern man I admire more. I’m resolving to try to be more Fred-like in everything I do.
One more thing to appreciate about Mr. Rogers – no merchandising. We never saw a Mr. Rogers doll, a Mr. Rogers T-shirt, stickers, breakfast cereal or shoes. Yet his show never wanted for viewers and he retained a highly loyal following of former children, grown-ups and parents throughout his life. What other children’s show, on commercial or public television, can make that claim?
Thank you, Mr. Rogers. Thanks for being such a wonderful neighbor.
I watched him as a little kid in the late seventies and early eighties. Then a few years later my brother came along and watched him through a chunk of the eighties. Even now I’ve been known to stop and watch him, because he was such a GENUINE man. He never got irritatingly sappy or fake-happy coughBarneycough and I always wanted to meet him. And I can sing pretty much all of the songs along with him, too.
Damn. Guess I’ll have to wait. Here’s another one for my list of people I really want to meet in whatever’s next for us.
