PBS star Roger Cook has died aged 70 following a long illness.
The expert landscaper ,who was well-known for starring on This Old House , died on Wednesday, August 21. Roger's death was announced on the reality home renovation show's website as they also wrote a tribute for him.
"With tremendous sadness, This Old House bids farewell to our friend and longtime landscape contractor, Roger Cook, who passed away on August 21, 2024 after a long battle with illness,” the press release read on the top below the headline, " Remembering Roger Cook, 1954-2024."
Roger was on the show for nearly 40 years from his first appearance in 1982 which was the shows second season to 2020 when he decided to step down because health issues. While contributing ideas and showcasing his expertise on many Old House projects such Season 2’s Bigelow Project and Season 3’s Woburn House, he was also working as the landscape foreman for Frost and Higgins Company at the time.
Roger’s journey with This Old House began in 1982 when he first appeared in the series. At the time, he worked as the landscape foreman for the Frost and Higgins Company, but that didn’t stop him from contributing ideas and expertise to several This Old House projects, including Season 2’s Bigelow Project and Season 3’s Woburn House.
The home improvement show host became a full time landscape contractor on the series in 1988. He was also featured on Ask This Old House that debuted in 2002 where he was apart of the time and gave advice firsthand to homeowners
“I remember every lesson from Roger,” said TOH executive producer Chris Wolfe, who has taken Roger's advice for his own garden. “More importantly, there are millions of people whose lives have been enriched by everything Roger taught them.”
Him and his partner founded their own business that focused on plants and hardscape called K&R Landscape. Rogers love for all things outdoors has persist his whole life. He considered a career in forestry while working during college with local landscape and tree firms. Roger earned a Bachelor of Science degree in wildlife management and conservation law from the University of Maine in 1977.
“Roger’s specialty and passion was plants, and no one was more knowledgeable,” said Fred Pendleton, Roger’s longtime friend and now co-owner of K&R Landscape with colleague Tom Pica. “You could ask Roger any question about any plant—which ones would survive shade, how to treat diseases, which perennials or annuals to choose, the best woody plants or deciduous trees for a certain backyard, even the Latin names for everything—and he knew it.”
Roger was an member of the Massachusetts Arborist Association. and served as president of the board of directors of New England Grows and the Association of Landscape Contractors of Massachusetts. He also loved enjoyed salt water fishing and spending time on Cape Cod.
The late 70-year-old is survived by his son Jason, daughter Molly, brother Greg, daughter-in-law Anna, and three grandsons—Peter, Noah, and James. His wife Kathleen died from cancer in 2010.
Jason made a statement encouraging donations to The Cook Family Donation Fund in honor of his father.
“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.”
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