NEED TO KNOW
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Star Mister Rogers' Neighborhood« , Joe Negri has died at the age of 99.
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The musician and educator played the jack-of-all-trades Negri on the show for more than 30 years.
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He died on Saturday, May 30, just a few days before his 100th birthday, which was celebrated on June 10.
Joe Negri, who played the role of jack-of-all-trades Negri in TV show "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood"« , died at the age of 99, a few days before his 100th birthday.
Pittsburgh native Negri, who many children watched on television growing up, died on Saturday, May 30, local outlet TribLIVE reports.
Negri's eldest daughter, Lisa Negri, told the news agency that her father, a renowned jazz guitarist, died of natural causes. The family was preparing to celebrate his 100th birthday on June 10.
According to CBS Pittsburgh, Fred Rogers Productions confirmed Negri's death to KDKA-TV on Sunday evening.
Representatives of Fred Rogers Productions did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
In a 2011 photograph by Joe Negri. Photo: Douglas Mason/Getty.
According to TribLIVE, Negri was a Pittsburgh native and had been involved with music since childhood. He began playing guitar at age 8 and was touring with swing bands across the country by age 16.
As the organization noted, he lived his entire life in the state—except for a short period in New York—working as a teacher, television host, and musician.
According to TribLIVE, Negri starred in Mister Rogers' Neighborhood« Along with Fred Rogers, he played the role of a jack-of-all-trades in Imaginationland throughout the show's run. Negri also performed at his own record store, Negri, as part of the program.
The first episode of the series aired in 1968, and the final episode was shown in 2001, approximately 33 years later.
According to CBS Pittsburgh, Negri previously told KDKA-TV that he's not a jack of all trades in real life. "I said, 'Fred, I'm not a jack of all trades. I can't even hammer a nail.' And he said, 'Don't worry about it, it's all just pretend,'" he insisted.
«"I'm glad he gave me the record store because it gave me a great opportunity to use my musical talent," Negri told the network about his record store on the show. According to CBS Pittsburgh, he eventually performed with musicians such as Johnny Costa, Yo-Yo Ma, and Wynton Marsalis.
Negri recalled how he landed the role: "In 1966, Fred called and asked if I wanted to be a jack of all trades on his show. I said, 'Me? A jack of all trades? I'm about as incompetent as...'" adding, "But Fred told me I could do it," the website reports. «Mister Rogers' Neighborhood» .
In addition to his work in television and as a musician, Negri was an adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh and Duquesne University for decades, teaching students jazz guitar, TribLIVE reports.
According to the publication, he retired from the University of Pittsburgh in 2019 after nearly 50 years of service, but continued to work at Duquesne University, where he founded the jazz guitar program, until 2022.
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David Newell, who played Mister Rogers' delivery man, Mr. McFeely, on the beloved series, was among those who paid tribute to the late musician, CBS Pittsburgh reported.
«"I feel the loss of a good friend I knew for many years," Newell said, according to the publication. "He was the kindest man. I think if you compare him to Fred Rogers, they were both very kind, and he had a great sense of humor.".
«"The Joe I knew was the same as you saw him on TV," Newell insisted, according to CBS Pittsburgh. He added, speaking of events with the late musician, "It was a lot of fun traveling with him.".
«"Talking about Joe really helps me because I have good memories of him. And that's what you always have of a person: memories they can't take away. I think that's how I'm coping with Joe's death," Newell continued, according to the publication.
Read the original article on People.