Roger Cook, star of “This Old House”, dies after long illness at the age of 70
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Roger Cook, the landscaper who brought his expert problem-solving skills to PBS’s popular home improvement show This old house for almost 40 years, has died.
His death at the age of 70 was announced on the show’s official website.
“With deep sadness, This old house says goodbye to our friend and long-time landscape gardener Roger Cook, who passed away on August 21, 2024 after a long battle with illness,” a press release said.
Cook first appeared in the show’s second season in 1982. He was hired full-time as a landscaper starting in season 10 in 1988. The long-running reality series, whose 46th season debuts in September, follows a team of experts as they renovate homes.
He then joined the sister series, Ask This Old Housewhen it debuted in 2002. The spin-off series featured various do-it-yourself projects and answered specific remodeling questions submitted by viewers.
Cook appeared in both series simultaneously for years before officially leaving the franchise in 2020 due to health reasons.
“I remember every lesson from Roger,” said This old house Executive producer Chris Wolfe. “More importantly, there are millions of people whose lives have been enriched by everything Roger taught them.”
Other colleagues described him as a “gentle giant,” “big-hearted,” and “America’s landscape legend.”
Cook was born in 1954 and grew up in Burlington, Massachusetts. He attended the University of Maine and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in wildlife management and conservation law in 1977. He later returned to Massachusetts, where he became a certified landscaper.
In 1982, he and his wife Kathleen started their own landscaping company, K&R Landscape, specializing in plants and gardening and landscaping.
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“Dad spent his entire life helping people – friends, family and clients. One of the biggest regrets due to his illness was that he could no longer help people in the same way,” Cook’s son Jason said in a statement. “With that in mind, Dad asked us to establish a family foundation so that we can continue his legacy of helping people in the future.”
Donations to the Cook Family Giving Fund, which supports nature and landscape conservation, medical research, child education and support for war veterans, can be made here.
Cook’s wife Kathleen predeceased him, dying of cancer in 2010. He is survived by his son Jason, his daughter Molly, his brother Greg, his daughter-in-law Anna, and three grandchildren: Peter, Noah and James.
