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Louise Thomas
Editor
Roger Cook, the landscaper who brought his expert problem-solving skills to PBS’s popular home renovation show This Old House for nearly 40 years, has died.
His death at age 70 was announced on the show’s official website.
“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,” a press release said.
Cook first appeared on the series during its second season in 1982. He later signed on as the show’s full-time landscape contractor from season 10 in 1988. The long-running reality series, which is preparing to debut its 46th season in September, follows a team of experts as they renovate homes.
He went on to join its sister series, Ask This Old House, when it debuted in 2002. The spin-off series featured various do-it-yourself projects and answered specific remodeling questions sent in by viewers.
Cook simultaneously appeared in both series for years before he officially exited the franchise in 2020 due to health issues.
“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.”
Born in 1954, Cook grew up in Burlington, Massachusetts. He attended the University of Maine, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in wildlife management and conservation law in 1977. He later returned to Massachusetts where he became a certified landscape contractor.
In 1982, he and his wife Kathleen founded their own landscaping business, K&R Landscape, specializing in plants and hardscaping.
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“Dad spent his entire life helping people – friends, family, and customers. One of the biggest regrets with 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 set up a family foundation so that we can continue his legacy as a helper going forward.”
Donations to the Cook Family Giving Fund, which will support wildlife and land conservation, medical research, childhood education, and military veterans, can be given here.
Cook was preceded in death by his wife Kathleen, who died from cancer in 2010. He is survived by his son Jason, daughter Molly, brother Greg, daughter-in-law Anna, and three grandsons: Peter, Noah and James.
