R.I.P. Caroll Spinney, The Man Who Brought Big Bird To Life on ‘Sesame Street’

Caroll Spinney, the Sesame Street puppeteer and performer who brought legendary characters like Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch to life, died today. The 85-year-old Spinney died at his home in Connecticut, according to reports.

Spinney began performing on Sesame Street in 1969, and retired in late 2018 after nearly 50 years of bringing smiles to the faces of millions and millions. Spinney’s extraordinary life was profiled in the 2014 documentary film, I Am Big Bird: The Carol Spinney Story. (Find out where you can stream I Am Big Bird here.)

A message posted to the Sesame Street Facebook page read:

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.

Since 1969, Caroll’s kind and loving view of the world helped shape and define Sesame Street. His enormous talent and outsized heart were perfectly suited to playing the larger-than-life yellow bird who brought joy to countless fans of all ages around the world, and his lovably cantankerous grouch gave us all permission to be cranky once in a while. In these characters, Caroll Spinney gave something truly special to the world. With deepest admiration, Sesame Workshop is proud to carry his legacy – and his beloved characters – into the future. Our hearts go out to his beloved wife, Debra, and all of his children and grandchildren. We will miss him dearly.

Where to stream I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story