New York has lost one of its most familiar and comforting faces.
Peter Napolitano — the beloved TV personality known to millions as “Produce Pete” — has died at the age of 80 after more than three decades on the air.
NBC New York confirmed the sad news on Monday, January 26, calling Napolitano “a member of our News 4 family” and “a longtime fixture of our weekend morning news.” His cause of death has not been disclosed.
“For more than 30 years, WNBC viewers tuned in on Saturday mornings to watch ‘Produce Pete’ share his fruit and vegetable picks and simple cooking tips on Weekend Today in New York,” said Amy Morris, Senior Vice President of News for NBC 4 New York and Telemundo 47.
“He was a beloved member of our station family — and our viewers felt the same way.”
Morris added that fans regularly sought him out at NBC events, food drives, health expos, and farmers markets across New Jersey — places where Napolitano “always felt right at home.”
Tributes poured in almost instantly after the announcement, with fans flooding the comments on his final Instagram post from November 27, 2025.
“Thanks for the chill Saturday mornings learning about produce. Thanks for teaching us if we eat right we’re going to live right. RIP Pete,” one follower wrote.
Another added, “With all that’s going on in the world today, hearing of Produce Pete’s passing has hit really hard. It won’t be Saturday or Sunday morning without his smiling face.”
Napolitano’s last social media photo showed him sitting in front of a Christmas tree, slicing pomegranates and wishing his followers a happy Thanksgiving — while teasing what he had planned for his next TV segment.
“Sad news to share from the NBC New York family… Produce Pete has passed away at 80,” managing editor Steven Bognar wrote on X. “His warmth, kindness and love for his work will be missed by all of us.”
Born in 1945 in Bergenfield, New Jersey, Napolitano credited his family — especially his mother — for setting him on the path that would eventually make him a household name.
While his father worked various jobs in the produce business, it was his mother who suggested selling watermelons from an empty lot while his father drove buses.
“She sold out two days in a row,” Napolitano once wrote. “And the rest is history.”
A grocer, chef, TV personality, and published author, Napolitano built a career out of something simple: helping people eat better and live healthier — one piece of fruit at a time.
“So when people say my father had a great business,” he wrote, “I always smile. If it wasn’t for Mom, Produce Pete may never have existed.”
And now, the man who made fruits and vegetables feel like old friends is gone — but his legacy will live on in millions of kitchens and weekend mornings forever. 🍎💔
