Joe Negri, Guitar Player and Handyman on ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,’ Dies at 99
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- Joe Negri died May 30 in Pittsburgh at age 99, his death announced by his family.
- Negri played 'Handyman Negri' on PBS's 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood' from 1968 through 2001, appearing on 331 episodes across the show's full run.
- Negri first worked with Fred Rogers in the early 1960s on a local Pittsburgh children's TV show before joining the WQED production that became 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.'
- Negri performed alongside guest stars including Yo-Yo Ma, Tony Bennett, and Wynton Marsalis, and played on Michael Feinstein's 2010 standards album 'Fly Me to the Moon.'
- Born in Pittsburgh on June 10, 1926, Negri started playing guitar at age 3, served in the U.S. Army during WWII, and studied composition at Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon University).
- Negri taught jazz guitar for nearly 50 years at the University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University, and Carnegie Mellon, and frequently appeared as a guest with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and its Pops concerts.
Why it matters: Negri appeared on 331 episodes spanning the show's complete 1968–2001 run, making him one of the few cast members present from premiere to finale. Beyond television, his nearly 50-year teaching career at three Pittsburgh universities and regular performances with the Pittsburgh Symphony established him as a pillar of the city's jazz community — a dimension the children's-show framing tends to obscure.
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