Roger Cook, the longtime landscaper on This Old House , stepped down from the show in 2020 because of health issues, and the show later announced that he died on August 21, 2024 after a long battle with illness.

What happened

  • He was a familiar part of the show for nearly 40 years, starting in 1982 and becoming a full-time cast member in 1988.
  • In 2018, he said he had been dealing with several health issues that made TV work more difficult.
  • This Old House said he stepped down in 2020 because of those health issues.

Current status

He is no longer alive; multiple outlets and the show itself reported his death at age 70 in August 2024.

Quick take

If you were asking why he left the show, the answer is health issues. If you were asking what happened more recently, he passed away in 2024.

TL;DR: Roger Cook left This Old House because of health problems in 2020, and he died in August 2024 at age 70.