R.I.P. Caroll Spinney (1933-2019), "Sesame Street"'s Big Bird.
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
Weeks shy of his 86th birthday, Caroll Spinney has passed on.
Following a stint in the US Air Force after high school, Spinney moved into the realm of children's entertainment in various capacities, eventually settling into working as a puppeteer. After a near-miss with being hired by Jim Henson in 1962, he teamed up with Henson in 1969, beginning what would be a half-century association with the characters of Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street. He formally retired in 2018.
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