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Joe Negri, a jazz guitarist champion known to generations of children and their parents arsenic nan kindly, music-loving handyman of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, died Saturday, May 30, astatine a elder surviving installation extracurricular Pittsburgh. He was 99.
His decease was announced by his family.
Beginning successful 1968 and continuing done 2001, Negri, who had been friends pinch Fred Rogers since they worked together successful nan early 1960s connected a section children’s TV show successful Pittsburgh, Negri played “Handyman Negri” connected nan immensely celebrated PBS show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Often singing and playing his guitar, Handyman Negri would yet go nan proprietor of nan vicinity euphony shop.
In all, he appeared connected 331 episodes of nan long-running bid passim its full run. As nan philharmonic handyman and shop owner, Negri performed alongside specified guests arsenic Yo-Yo Ma, Tony Bennett and Wynton Marsalis, not to mention beloved puppet King Friday.
Born connected June 10, 1926, successful Pittsburgh, Negri began playing guitar astatine property 3 and performed connected nan power arsenic a child. He worked arsenic a master musician successful his teens and toured nationally pinch large bands successful nan 1940s earlier serving successful nan U.S. Army during World War II.
Except for a little enactment successful New York City – a move prompted by encouragement from vocalist Bennett – Negri, who had studied creation astatine Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon University), made his location successful Pittsburgh, wherever he earned a estimation arsenic a premiere jazz guitarist. Over nan years, he would look often arsenic a impermanent pinch nan Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and its Pops concerts.
After appearing connected nan short-lived Pittsburgh children’s show pinch Rogers, Negri was invited by nan big to subordinate him successful a caller WQED show successful improvement that would go Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. According to The New York Times, erstwhile Rogers told him he’d beryllium playing a handyman, Negri laughed and said, “Fred, you sewage nan incorrect guy. I’m not very handy. You know, I can’t do anything. I can’t moreover put a hammer connected a nail.”
After being assured by Rogers that nan domiciled was “pretend,” Negri signed up, and by nan 13th section was performing euphony connected nan show. His first opus was “Sometimes People Are Good,” written by Rogers and destined to go a Neighborhood classic. (Rogers died successful 2003.)
Outside his Neighborhood role, Negri played connected respective albums including Michael Feinstein’s 2010 standards album Fly Me to nan Moon.
As an educator, Negri taught jazz guitar for astir 50 years astatine nan University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University and Carnegie Mellon. “Whether playing successful a mini club, a classroom, a TV studio, aliases a performance hall, he brought nan aforesaid warmth, humility, and heavy emotion of nan guitar astatine each performance,” his family noted.
He is survived by his woman of 72 years, Joan Negri; daughters, Lisa Negri (Robert Sickels), Laurie Bentz (Dr. William Bentz), and Gia Leven (Ronald Leven); and granddaughters, Alexandra Sickels, Nina Carlino, and Natalie Leven. Funeral services were held privately.
