Rest In Peace To An Icon Of American Childhood

Sesame Street icon Bob McGrath, who was among the first stars of the show, died peacefully at his family home on Sunday “surrounded by his family.” The Sesame Street original actor also wrote the show’s iconic theme song and appeared in forty-seven seasons of the childhood favorite program. He passed away “peacefully” at his New Jersey home at the age of ninety-one, following a long career in child entertainment as an icon on the famous Sesame Street program for PBS.

McGrath appeared in the pilot episode of Sesame Street which aired back in 1969. He then followed through with his commitment to the children’s program and appeared in forty-seven seasons of the popular program until he retired from the show. His final episode of Sesame Street was entitled “Having a Ball” and aired in 2017.

Throughout his career on Sesame Street, McGrath appeared in more than 150 episodes of the show. He also appeared in many direct-to-video movies from Sesame Street as well as two feature films from the iconic children’s show.

McGrath’s family shared a social media update on Facebook following the icon’s passing this past Sunday.

“Our father Bob McGrath passed away today. He died peacefully at home, surrounded by his family,” said a post on the entertainer’s Facebook page.

McGrath was a puppeteer who enjoyed conducting educational lessons with puppets for children. He was also a songwriter and wrote many songs for Sesame Street including People in Your Neighborhood If You’re Happy and You Know It, Sing a Song, as well as the Sesame Street theme song, which has been airing with the show for years.

He was one of the four original Sesame Street actors hired to launch the show back in 1969. He played a character called Bob, his namesake, alongside other Sesame Street greats like Matt Robinson as Gordon, Loretta Long as Susan, and Will Lee as Mr. Hooper.

Back in 1998, McGrath spoke to the Sun-Times about his days with Sesame Street, “We’ve always looked at children as just short people. We’ve never talked down to them. The kids we were meant to reach, I think we’ve reached. They’ve grown up. They’re in their 30s now. They have kids of their own, our Sesame Seeds, and they come up to me and say: ‘Thank you very much. It made a major difference in our lives.’”

Following his retirement from appearing on Sesame Street in 2017, he continued to work behind the scenes with the show as part of the Sesame Workshop.

Other actors, including Josh Gad, paid tribute to Bob McGrath in their own tributes posted to social media.

Gad wrote, “McGrath was my childhood. Thank you for helping to teach us kindness, respect, love, and empathy. You were as much a teacher to my generation as any of our actual educators. RIP.”

McGrath’s final appearance for Sesame Street was in a 2021 documentary film entitled Sesame Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street.

McGrath is survived by his wife, Ann, and their three children, and five grandchildren.

Related Posts

Melania Trump’s secret dating history finally revealed

Before she became the poised First Lady of the United States, Melania Trump lived a life wrapped in quiet mystery – one that includes a few carefully…

Diane Keaton’s cause of death confirmed as family release heartbreaking details

Ever since news broke of Diane Keaton’s sudden passing, one question has haunted Hollywood: what really happened to the beloved star? Friends had noticed that the once…

Toggle menu Newsner English EN Edition Newsner English Erika Kirk shares daughter’s heartbreaking birthday message to dad Charlie Erika Kirk shares daughter’s heartbreaking birthday message to dad Charlie

It’s been a month since Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University. His widow, Erika Kirk, has taken over his non-profit organization, Talking Point…

Pritzker Melts Down After Trump Says He ‘Should Be In Jail’

Illinois Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who is widely believed to be positioning himself for a 2028 presidential run, lashed out at President Donald Trump and Vice President…

Urgent🚨 Iran will strike America tonight and will start with the state of…See more

Title: Is Israel Under Attack in 2025? Introduction: In recent news, there have been reports of Israel coming under attack in the year 2025. Let’s delve into…

This approximately 2-year-old boy was found… See more

Viral Facebook posts claiming a young boy was found alone at night by a police officer in either Hereford or King’s Lynn have been confirmed as false….

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *