American actor, musician and children’s actor Bob McGrath, widely known for his role as one of the first regular characters on the popular children’s show “Sesame Street”, has died at the age of 90.
McGrath’s death was confirmed by his family who posted to his Facebook page on Sunday: “The McGrath family has some sad news to share. Our father Bob McGrath passed away today. He died peacefully at home, surrounded by his family.”
The Sesame Workshop also tweeted Sunday evening that it “mourns the passing of Bob McGrath, a beloved member of the Sesame Street family for over 50 years…” concluding with “We will forever be grateful for his many years of passionate creative contributions to Sesame Street and honoured that he shared so much of his life with us.”
The actor was a founding member of Sesame Street since the show premiered in 1969 playing “Bob Johnson” and made his final appearance on the show in 2017, making his run almost 5-decades-long in the Sesame Street world.
The actor who grew up in Illinois studied music at the University of Michigan and Manhattan School of Music. He was also a singer with a successful singing career in Japan.He is survived by his wife Ann Logan Sperry, and their five children.