Caroll Spinney has died at the age of 85.
“Sesame Street” announced the sad news that the puppeteer and voice behind Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch had passed away on Dec. 8, 2019 after living with Dystonia for “some time.”
Caroll Spinney, the legendary puppeteer behind beloved Sesame Street characters Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, died today, December 8th 2019, at age 85 at his home in Connecticut, after living with Dystonia for some time. https://t.co/q7FVDul5WT pic.twitter.com/CvWBD0NQyp
— Sesame Street (@sesamestreet) December 8, 2019
“Caroll was an artistic genius whose kind and loving view of the world helped shape and define ‘Sesame Street’ from its earliest days in 1969 through five decades, and his legacy here at Sesame Workshop and in the cultural firmament will be unending,” the show’s website reads. “His enormous talent and outsized heart were perfectly suited to playing the larger-than-life yellow bird who brought joy to generations of children and countless fans of all ages around the world, and his lovably cantankerous grouch gave us all permission to be cranky once in a while.”
Fans took to social media to mourn his passing.
“Akind-hearted creator and a healer, he brought learning and laughter to millions of children around the world. While the world is lesser for his loss, we are far better for his having been with us. I’m so honored I got to meet and work with you, Caroll. Thank you for being you,” one person tweeted.
“This makes me sad. I was too old for Sesame Street when it first began but I loved Carol Spinney’s Big Bird from the start. He was a man who put his heart and soul into the character he portrayed for decades,” another wrote.
R.I.P. Caroll Spinney.
— Stephanie Swaim