Like everyone else at the time, Rogers was devastated. The attacks hit close to home for him as a part-time resident of New York City and a native of Pennsylvania, where Flight 93 crashed.

In the aftermath of 9/11, PBS reached out to Rogers to record a series of PSAs, aiming to reassure his old viewers and help them cope with the tragedy. However, even Mr. Rogers, who had always exuded calm and faith in the power of kindness on his TV show, began to wrestle with doubt.

“He was very troubled,” recalled producer Margy Whitmer in the 2018 documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” She shared, “He said, ‘I just don’t know what good these are going to do.’”

“When the horror of 9/11 hit him, I think it was a real eye-opener.”