'Handyman' Mr. Rogers passes away days before turning 100
American jazz Joe Negri leaves fans sobbing with sudden demise
Joe Negri, who was notable as Handyman Negri, could not make it to his 100th birthday as he passed away on May 30, 2026.
The sad passing of the 99-year-old jazz guitarist was confirmed by Fred Rogers Production.
Lisa Negri revealed the cause of death of her father to Pittsburgh publication TribLive, confirming it to be of natural causes.
He was a pioneering of broadcasting, a well-known musician and an icon, shaping the childhood of many through TV.
Joe admitted that the character of Handyman was make-believe as he did not consider himself handy at all in real life.
In a previous interview with KDKA-TV, he confessed telling Fred about not being handy, reasoning: “I can’t event hammer a nail.”
Fred consoled him by telling him to realise it’s not real: “Don’t worry about a thing, it’s going to be all pretend.”
However, he excelled at playing guitar which is why he ended up running Negri’s Music Shop, putting up show with Wynton Marsalis, Johnny Costa, Yo-Yo Ma and other musicians.
What was Joe Negri passionate about?
Being a musician was always his passion which he lived throughout his life-long career.
The artist stepped in the entertainment world when he was only 3. Instead of a pianist, Joe’s father “put ukulele in my hands, and started teaching me the songs.”
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