Susan Goldberg, president and CEO of GBH, paid tribute to Cook in an emailed statement on Friday.

“Roger was a popular pillar of This old house, and he embodied the spirit of public television in his dedication to educating his audience in plain language about all the nuances of landscaping,” Goldberg said in the statement. “Roger leaves an unforgettable legacy for so many This old house Fans and for GBH. He will be missed.”

Cook was born in Biddeford, Maine, and lived for a time in Woburn, but his family eventually settled in Burlington. Cook played basketball and football on the school team and graduated from Burlington High School in 1972. He also worked part-time and during the summer as a landscaper, his obituary said.

Cook considered a career in forestry and earned a degree in wildlife management and conservation law from the University of Maine.

In 1982, Cook and his wife, Kathy, started K&R Tree and Landscaping in Burlington with a Jeep, a trailer and a lawn mower. They built the business over 40 years, with Kathy Cook handling the details and Roger Cook focusing on plants and landscaping, his obituary said.

Cook’s first association with This Old House began in 1982, when he worked as a landscaper for the Frost and Higgins Company. After renovating the Lexington Bed & Breakfast, Cook became a full-time gardener and landscaper.

“From the beginning, Roger won hearts with his expertise and easy-going manner, an affection that has only grown over the course of his dozens of TOH project houses, hundreds of Ask This Old House home visits and numerous articles in This Old House magazine,” the show’s website said.

Cook’s quick and direct advice paired with catchy phrases stuck in front of the camera, the website said.

Plant a tree? Cook would tell you, “Plant it high and it will not die; plant it low and it will not grow.”

Frustrated with growing clematis on a trellis? Cook’s advice: “The first year it’s dormant, the second year it’s creeping, the third year it’s jumping.”

Cook received an Emmy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2022.

Cook was a certified landscaper in Massachusetts and an active member of the Massachusetts Arborist Association, New England Grows, and the Association of Landscape Contractors of Massachusetts.

Despite his success and fame, Cook “always stayed true to himself,” his obituary said. “Friendly, passionate and always humble… He was down to earth, gave good advice and never pretended to be someone he wasn’t. He was approachable and gave friends and viewers alike the confidence to tackle their own home projects, even if they were probably on a smaller scale.”

Several of Cook’s colleagues posted their memories and paid tribute to her on the show’s website.

The show’s general contractor, Tom Silva, said Cook was “always the first one to get in the mud and get dirty. Whatever needed to be done, he got it done. There was never a problem and he always had a positive attitude. He will be greatly missed.”

The show’s host, Kevin O’Connor, said: “We have lost a brother today, a big-hearted, larger-than-life brother who was as kind as he was generous. I will miss his smile and his friendship terribly.”

Cook enjoyed attending his three grandchildren’s sporting events, spending his summers fishing and beach days on Cape Cod, and spending his afternoons pottering around his own yard and garden.

His wife Kathy died of cancer in 2010.

Cook’s son, Jason Cook, issued a statement encouraging donations to The Cook Family Donation Fund.

“Dad spent his entire life helping people – friends, family and clients,” the statement said. “One of the biggest regrets of his illness was that he could no longer help people in the same way. 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.”

Cook is transferring “a significant portion of his wealth” to the foundation, which will focus on several of Cook’s passions, namely nature and landscape conservation, medical research, child education and war veterans.

Cook is survived by his two children, Jason Roger Cook and his wife Anna of Boston and Molly E. Cook of Medford; three grandsons, Peter, Noah and James; and his brother Greg A. Cook and his wife Jill of Thousand Oaks, California.

In lieu of flowers, Cook’s family asks that you please plant a tree in your community to honor Cook’s lifelong commitment to the environment.

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You can reach Tonya Alanez at [email protected]. Follow her @talanez.