The voice behind the iconic Sesame Street characters, Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch has passed away at age 85.
Caroll Spinney reportedly died in his home in the U.S. state of Connecticut after suffering from dystonia.
WATCH: Sesame Street: A Tribute to Caroll Spinney
“Caroll was an artistic genius whose kind and loving view of the world helped shape and define Sesame Street from its earliest days in 1969 through five decades, and his legacy here at Sesame Workshop and in the cultural firmament will be unending,” the show said via a statement.
“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, and his lovably cantankerous grouch gave us all permission to be cranky once in a while.”
Spinney began working on the show in 1969, before health issues forced him to retire in 2015.
