'This Old House' Legend Roger Cook Dead at 70

The landscaping expert exited PBS' 'This Old House' in 2020 after nearly 40 years due to health issues.

By Allison Schonter

Roger Cook, the expert landscaper who starred on PBS' This Old House for almost 40 years, has died. Cook passed away on Wednesday following "a long battle with illness," according to a GoFundMe page created by his children, Jason Roger Cook and Molly E. Cook. He was 70.

"Saddened to announce that God called dad home this week," his children said in a statement shared to Cook's Instagram. "He will leave a void in our lives that can never be filled but we find solace knowing he is finally at peace after a long, determined struggle with illness."

Born in 1954 in Biddeford, Maine, Cook received a Bachelor of Science in wildlife management and conservation law from the University of Maine in 1977 and went on to work as a certified landscape contractor in Massachusetts. He founded the K & R Tree and Landscape Company with his wife, Kathy, in 1982, the same year he joined This Old House, PBS' Emmy-winning home-improvement series that followed one complete house renovation over several episodes. In 1988, he became This Old House's full-time landscape contractor.

Cook later joined the spinoff series Ask This Old House when it premiered in 2002, and continued to appear on both shows until he exited the franchise in 2020 due to health issues. In a letter to fans at the time, Cook revealed, "I have been dealing with several health issues that have made performing on television more difficult," adding that he "decided to reduce my role on This Old House and Ask This Old House so I can focus more time on my health and my family."

Paying tribute to Cook following his passing, the official This Old House Facebook page remembered Cook as "our much-loved colleague, treasured by the entire This Old House community. His lasting legacy is the beautiful landscapes he created, the expert knowledge he readily shared, and the many, many friends and family members who miss him dearly."

This Old House executive producer Chris Wolfe added, "I remember every lesson from Roger. More importantly, there are millions of people whose lives have been enriched by everything Roger taught them."

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Cook's children said that their father "spent his entire life helping people- friends, family and customers" and "one of the biggest regrets with his illness was that he could no longer help people in the same way." They revealed that one of his final wishes was that they create a family foundation "to fund nonprofit work in wildlife and land conservation, medical research and other areas that were close to dad's heart."

Cook is survived by his son Roger, daughter Molly, and three grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife Kathy in 2010.

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