Caroll Spinney death: Sesame Street puppeteer behind Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch dies at 84

Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Puppeteer Caroll Spinney, who portrayed Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on the children’s programme Sesame Street, has died at the age of 84. Before retiring in 2018, Spinney was awarded five Daytime Emmys for his contributions to Sesame Street, along with a Lifetime Achievement award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 2006. In a statement, Sesame Street co-founder Joan Ganz Cooney said that Spinney’s contributions to the series were “countless”. “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.” Spinney is survived by his wife Debra, who he met in 1972 when she worked for the Children’s Television Workshop, and their three children.