R.I.P. Roger Cook: ‘This Old House’ Alum Dead At 70

By Alex Vena
Published Aug. 26, 2024, 4:38 p.m. ET

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This Old House and Ask This Old House alum Roger Cook died on Wednesday (Aug. 21). He was 70.

According to the PBS reality renovation show’s website, the late landscape contractor was battling a long illness.

One of his children also shared the news in a post to his father’s X account on Thursday (Aug. 22), writing the following, in part:

“Saddened to announce that God called dad home this week. 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.”

They also shared a link to a GoFundMe page that is raising money for the Cook Family Giving Fund, which according to the foundation’s description, Cook himself had asked his children to launch so that they “can continue his legacy as a helper going forward.”

“We are forever grateful for the love the TOH fan base showed dad over the years,” they added on X.

Born in 1954 in Biddeford, Maine, Cook would go on to make his initial This Old House appearance in 1982, per the statement posted to the show’s website. That same year, he founded K&R Landscape with his wife, which according to their website, is based in Woburn, Massachusetts. He was also involved in the show’s spinoffs, Ask This Old House, which first aired in 2002, and This Old House: Trade School, which ran from 2017 until 2020. Per IMDb, Cook appeared in over 370 episodes of the flagship series.

He ultimately opted to leave This Old House in 2020 due to health concerns. Through his tenure on the show, he also appeared on The Tonight Show.

Other This Old House cast and crew members honored Cook with kind words, including the show’s host, Kevin O’Connor, who lamented that they “lost a brother.”

“A big-hearted, larger-than-life brother who was as kind as he was generous,” he continued. “I’ll miss his smile and his friendship terribly.”

Per Boston.com, Cook is survived by his son and daughter, as well as his three grandchildren.