“Produce Pete,” a longtime fixture on NBC’s weekend morning news in New York, has died at age 80.
Peter Napolitano, best known as ‘Produce Pete’, was an iconic New York City grocer and chef who hosted a weekly fruit and vegetable segment on NBC affiliates for over 33 years.
He was born in Bergenfield, New Jersey, in February 1945. But for decades to come, everyone—including members of his own family—ended up calling him “Produce Pete.”
NBC 4 New York managing editor Steven Bognar confirmed Napolitano’s death in a post on X. “His warmth, kindness and love of his work will be missed by all of us,” Bognarc said.
Pete’s cause of death
Although the cause of Produce Pete’s death has not been revealed, it is known that the TV host was suffering from a heart condition, Hindustan Times reported.
In June 2025, his Facebook page shared that Produce Pete had been suffering from heart disease and had undergone triple bypass surgery, the report added.
It was claimed that “after many visits to the doctors (Producer Pete) was sent to the Cleveland Clinic and underwent successful triple bypass surgery, we think he will make a speedy recovery and we are so glad that everything went so well.”
However, it is unclear whether Peter Napolitano’s death was related to a heart condition.
Produce Pete was a beloved New York food icon. Tributes poured in when news of his death broke. He was born in Bergenfield, New Jersey, in February 1945, according to his obituary on NBC.
Pete Napolitano shares his tricks for picking the freshest fruits and vegetables
“For more than 30 years, WNBC viewers have tuned in to ‘Produce Pete’ on Saturday mornings, offering his fruit and vegetable recommendations as well as cooking tips to ‘Weekend Today in New York.’ He was a beloved member of our station’s family, and our viewers felt the same way — visiting our Health Expo, our Feeding our Families Food Drives, or the many farmers’ markets across New Jersey, where the Farmer’s Market always felt at Amica News for NBC 4 New York and Telemundo 47, was cited.
