Caroll Spinney, the Muppeteer who played Sesame Street's beloved Big Bird for almost 50 years and voiced Oscar the Grouch, died Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019. He was 85 years old.
The announcement came from Sesame Workshop. He died in his home in Connecticut, "after living with Dystonia for some time."
Caroll joined Sesame Street in 1969 and stayed with the program until his retirement in October 2018. He won five Daytime Emmy Awards for his time with the series and received a lifetime achievement award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in 2006.
“Caroll Spinney’s contributions to Sesame Street are countless," Sesame Street co-founder Joan Ganz Cooney said. "He not only gave us Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, he gave so much of himself as well. We at Sesame Workshop mourn his passing and feel an immense gratitude for all he has given to Sesame Street and to children around the world.”
He leaves behind his wife Debra and his children Jessica, Benjamin and Melissa.
Airing Saturdays at 9 a.m. on HBO, Season 50 of Sesame Street will be the last season to air on the channel before the series moves to HBO Max next year, with the upcoming streaming service having access to the entire 50-year Sesame Street library.