What happened to Rebecca Rothman? St Louis' 'Queen of Carpet' dies at 67 

St. Louis icon Rebecca Rothman passed away on Sunday, May 28, due to kidney failure. Becky "Queen of Carpets" Rothman, whose full name was Rebecca Starr Rothman, entertained generations of Missouri citizens with her jolly iconic carpet ads. She was 67 years old at the time of her passing.

Becky's passing was confirmed by her nephew, Marc Rothman, on Monday, May 29. He confirmed that Becky passed at Missouri Baptist Medical Center due to complications that arose from kidney disease, for which she had been undergoing dialysis for several years. She was on the organ transplant waitlist for a kidney, at the time of her passing.

---

The legend of Rebecca Rothman, the Queen of Carpet

Rebecca Rothman of Becky's Carpet and Tile was a St. Louis legend. Her cheesy low-budget yet charming carpet commercials captivated generations for nearly thirty years.

The commercials that started airing in the late 80s saw Rebecca Rothman dressed as the "Queen of Carpets", complete with a sequined gown and tiara, and Wanda Kilzer, her store manager, dressed as "Wanda, the Princess of Tile."

Both Princess Wanda and Queen Becky soared around St. Louis on their magic carpets, riding high on low prices and great selections and jumping off of the St. Louis Gateway Arch, just to sell a "rich man's carpet at a working man's price." Many of the dozens of commercials that aired during the time were written by Becky herself and produced by Mark Earls.

Rebecca Rothman was born into the business. Her father, Murray, founded the Veterans Linoleum and Rug Co. in East St. Louis in 1946. According to Becky, at sixteen years old, she became involved with the family business. In an interview with 5 On Your Side in 1999, she said:

“I think it was my sixteenth birthday. He said, ‘Here's a set of keys to the store. Here's a set of keys to the car, and I'll see you after school.”

When her father passed in 1991, Becky, who was 22 at the time, and her brothers, Arnold and Jules, took over the business. Due to Becky's genius marketing of the business through the now iconic, low-budget ads, the carpet company hit some crazy highs. The company, which was renamed Becky's Carpet and Tile Superstore, had eight outlets all around Missouri and Illinois at its peak.

The 2008 recession hit the company hard, leading to the closure of many outlets. In 2012, the remaining Becky's Carpet and Tile Superstores were closed.

---

"She had a big personality": Mark Earls, Producer.

Mark Earls, who produced Becky's commercials, told KSDK News that the commercials still brought him plenty of laughs. He said:

"I did every single one of those commercials. It was funny, and it's still funny. I still laugh at it."

He added:

"The way I remember her is just ... she had a big personality."

Former chair of the marketing department at the University of St. Louis, Haim Mano, called Becky an interesting St. Louis persona who had an eye for marketing. He told KSDK News that Becky's ads were fun and interesting:

"They would grab your attention. ... Becky was one of the most unique advertisers. They were always fun to watch, interesting (and) they would sell. She was quite an interesting St. Louis persona—an icon."

Rebecca Rothman was diagnosed with renal cancer in 2012, the same year her company shut down. She underwent successful surgery, but years later, her kidney problems resurfaced in the form of end-stage kidney disease, for which she began dialysis in 2020.

Sportskeeda sends our condolences to Rebecca "Queen of Carpet" Rothman's family and friends.