At the age of 90, BOB McGrath, who portrayed one of the show’s initial human characters, passed away.
On Sunday, a message on McGrath’s official Facebook page revealed the devastating news, which was shared by his family.
Bob McGrath, our father, passed away today. He passed away quietly at home, surrounded by his loved ones.
The actor made his debut in the 1960s and went on to play a regular part in the popular children’s show.
He played himself in the debut episode of the show in 1969 and proceeded to work for another 47 seasons.
His final appearance on the programme was in the 2017 episode Having a Ball.
While interacting with the puppet figures, McGrath conducted educational lessons for kids during the programme.
He was also well-known for his musical abilities, having written songs including Sing a Song, If You’re Happy And You Know It, People in Your Neighborhood, and even the show’s theme song.
McGrath remained to work for the Sesame Workshop, the organisation that runs the Sesame Street property, while leaving his on-screen job.
He kept going to public functions and doing advocacy work.
McGrath played a number of Sesame Street characters in stand-alone movies, holiday specials, video games, and other projects.
In the 2021 documentary Sesame Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street, he made his final appearance.
Eight grandchildren, his wife Ann Logan Sperry, their five children, and him survive.
