Caroll Spinney, the Man Behind Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, Has Passed Away at 85
Caroll Spinney, an original cast member and puppeteer on Sesame Street, has died.
The 85 year old voiced and, in essence, gave life to Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch.
While you may or may not recognize the name Caroll Spinney, you undoubtedly know his work. The puppeteer inhabited a tall, yellow bird for 50 years and lived in a trash can—where he voiced an infamous green grouch. On December 8, Sesame Workshop announced Spinney has passed died.
According to the statement, Spinney passed in his Connecticut home after a long battle with dystonia, a movement disorder that causes involuntary muscle spasms.
“Caroll was an artistic genius whose kind and loving view of the world helped shape and define Sesame Street from its earliest days," the statement said. "His legacy here at Sesame Workshop and in the cultural firmament will be unending, [and] 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."
Sesame Workshop also recognized his contributions to Oscar the Grouch. "His lovably cantankerous grouch gave us all permission to be cranky once in a while,” the statement added.
At the time of his death, Spinney was 85.
Spinney joined the cast of Sesame Street in 1969, along with Roscoe Orman (Gordon) and Bob McGrath (Bob). The original resident retired late last year, though his physical limitations forced him to step away from puppeteering in 2015.
According to The New York Times, balance became an issue.
That said, in spite of his discomfort, Spinney remained humble and grateful. “I always thought, how fortunate for me that I got to play the two best Muppets?” Spinney said. “Playing Big Bird is one of the most joyous things of my life." And Sesame Street co-founder Joan Ganz Cooney echoed a similar sentiment.
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“Caroll Spinney’s contributions to Sesame Street are countless," 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.”