Robert Thompson of Syracuse University noted that Rogers " took American childhood — and I think Americans in general — through some very turbulent and trying times , " from the Vietnam War and the assassination of Robert Kennedy in 1968 , to the 9/11 terrorists acts in 2001 . In the years since the end of production of '' Mister Rogers ' Neighborhood '' in 2001 and his death in 2003 , Rogers has , as Asia Simone Burns of National Public Radio put it , " been a source of comfort , sometimes in the wake of tragedy " . Also according to Burns , Rogers ' words of comfort " began circulating on social media " , following tragedies such as the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012 , the Manchester Arena bombing in Manchester , England in 2017 , and the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland , Florida in 2018
shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School
Stoneman Douglas High School shooting
Fred Rogers