Nerene Virgin has died.
Born in 1946, she was a journalist, educator, television host and author.
From 1981 to 1987, she portrayed Jodie on Today’s Special.
She used her writing skills to research, write and present the stories of Black Canadians.
She died on Jan. 15, 2024. pic.twitter.com/u9pLLdW2gL— Craig Baird – Canadian History Ehx (@CraigBaird) January 18, 2024
Nerene Virgin passed away January 15th at the age of 77. No cause of death was provided.
She is survived by her husband and 3 children.
She was one of the stars of “Todays Special”, a childrens tv show that ran for 120 episodes between 1981 and 1987, and had an even longer life due to airings in the U.S. well into the 1990s on PBS, Nickelodeon, and other affiliate networks.
The shows premise was basically: an overnight department store worker passed the time with Jeff, a mannequin who is brought to life with a magical hat. Sam, the security guard, and Muffy, a mouse who lives in the department store, are also there in addition to various guests each episode.
In addition to her acting career, she was also a teacher, a news anchor, ran as a provincial Liberal candidate in Hamilton, Ontario, and wrote books as part of her anti-racism advocacy.
Todays Special intro/theme
CBC News piece about her death, and talking to her family
I randomly on a whim wanted to look up something about one of my beloved kids shows, and bam! Sorry to hear, but it sounds like she had a very fulfilling, rich life. I know i can’t be the only person who remembers this show! I’ll occasionally watch a full episode on youtube.
