Bob McGrath, 'Sesame Street' Star, Dead at 90
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The star died peacefully in his home surrounded by family.
Bob McGrath, a founding cast member of Sesame Street, died on Sunday, Dec. 4, according to an announcement on his official Facebook page. He was 90.
His family released a statement on social media notifying the public of the loss. "Our father Bob McGrath, passed away today. He died peacefully at home, surrounded by his family," the post read.
Following the news, the official Instagram accounts of Sesame Street and Sesame Workshop posted a joint tribute, stating that the nonprofit "mourns the passing of Bob McGrath, a beloved member of the Sesame Street family for over 50 years."
"A founding cast member, Bob embodied the melodies of Sesame Street like no one else, and his performances brought joy and wonder to generations of children around the world, whether teaching them the ABCs, the people in their neighborhood, or the simple joy of feeling music in their hearts," it added.
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The Illinois native starred in the very first 1969 pilot episode of Sesame Street and continued to work on the iconic children's show for 47 seasons as friendly music teacher, Bob Johnson. He appeared on his last episode in 2017, later returning for the program's celebratory 50th anniversary broadcast in 2019.
McGrath lent his voice to the Sesame Street theme song, in addition to several other well-known children's tunes on the long-running production such as "If You're Happy And You Know It," "Sing a Song" and "People in Your Neighborhood."
"A revered performer worldwide, Bob's rich tenor filled airwaves and concert halls from Las Vegas to Saskatchewan to Tokyo many times over. We will be forever grateful for his many years of passionate creative contributions to Sesame Street and honored that he shared so much of his life with us," the Instagram post honoring the actor wrote in closing.
The legendary performer is survived by his wife, three daughters, two sons and eight grandchildren, per ET.
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