The new documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” explores the life of the legendary children’s television personality Mr. Rogers. The widow of this amazing man just spoke out to reveal some new details about his private life that had not previously been revealed to the public.

Fred and Joanne Rogers were married for 51 years until he sadly passed away in 2003 at the age of 74. Joanne has spoken out to assure fans that Fred was very much the same kind and compassionate man as the one he portrayed on television.

Now 90, Joanne is making the rounds to promote the documentary about her husband. While appearing on the “Today” show, Joanne recounted how Fred proposed to her after he moved away from Florida to New York.

“He wrote me a letter. My last year at Florida State, he wrote me a letter proposing marriage.” How could she say no?” Joanne recalled.

She also explained Fred’s obsession with the number 143, saying that there was a hidden message in those numbers.

“He really wanted to remain at 143 [pounds] all of his life — all of his adult life, I should say. Especially after he started swimming; he swam every day,” Joanne said. “He was very pleased when he would get out of swimming, go and get on the scale: 143. One was I, 4 was L-O-V-E, 3 was Y-O-U. He had enough love to go around.”

She also said that when Fred was younger, “he was lively and full of fun,” but he was also very open.

“He talked about his feelings, and I could talk about my feelings to him and the things that bothered us, the things that we loved,” Joanne said. “You can’t build a friendship without doing that. And don’t you have to have a friendship to fall back on in your married life? We had it for 50 years. That was nice.”

Joanne then opened up about Fred’s final days before he died of stomach cancer.

“There was a feeling of real relief when I could say to him, ‘You know, we’re going to be OK. We’re going to be all right,'” she recounted. “The boys will be fine, and I’m going to try to be fine.’ So when he went, I could feel he went at peace and even with joy. I really feel he went with joy.”

Joanne explained that Fred’s message was one of inclusivity, citing the episode in which he asked the character Officer Clemmons to dip his feet into his kiddie pool.

“At that time in history, white people didn’t want African Americans in their swimming pools,” Joanne said. “And so they were pouring acid and all kinds of bad things in to keep them out. Fred knew about that. This was having to do with that.”

We miss you, Mr. Rogers!

Watch Joanne’s interview in the video below, and SHARE this story so your friends and family can see this as well!