Joe Negri, the revered jazz guitarist best known to millions of children as Handyman Negri on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” died on Saturday at the age of 99. His eldest daughter, Lisa Negri, confirmed that her father passed away from natural causes, according to a detailed report by TribLive that also highlighted a touching tribute from former University of Pittsburgh music department chair Deane Root. Root said, “Joe Negri radiates life as an art form… He crosses generations and he brings out the best in the musicians he plays with.”
The television icon’s death was formally confirmed Sunday evening by Fred Rogers Productions, wrapping up a public life that CBS News Pittsburgh notes included teaching collegiate music until his official retirement in 2019. For nearly 40 years, from 1968 to 2000, Negri was a staple of the “Neighborhood of Make-Believe.” He didn’t just fix things around the set. He frequently played himself as the proprietor of “Negri’s Music Shop,” where he jammed on television with visiting legends like Yo-Yo Ma and Wynton Marsalis.
His television fame often overshadowed his serious credentials in the music industry. Negri was a touring prodigy who played on the radio at age three and traveled with swing bands by the time he was 16. He spent over 20 years as the music director for WTAE in Pittsburgh and released several acclaimed albums, including a 2010 collaboration with Michael Feinstein. He was a trailblazer in higher music education, personally founding the jazz guitar program at Duquesne University and teaching generations of musicians, including Ralph Patt, the recognized inventor of major-thirds tuning.
The timing makes his passing especially poignant for the Pittsburgh arts community. Negri died just 11 days shy of his 100th birthday, which would have fallen on June 10. According to WBAL’s coverage of the impending milestone, his family and local musicians were actively preparing a large-scale musical celebration in his honor. That planned party will now undoubtedly turn into a citywide memorial for a man who spent his life teaching the world how to play.