Death of Caroll Spinney

On December 8, 2019, longtime Sesame Street performer Caroll Spinney died in his home at 85 after being diagnosed with dystonia in 2015. He was the performer for Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch from the show's premiere in 1969 until his 2018 retirement. His last performance on the show was as Big Bird for a segment for the show's 50th season. It aired posthumously in April 2020, but his vocals were never used in the final broadcast episode. After he retired, his roles were taken by Matt Vogel and Eric Jacobson respectively after years of being understudies.

May he be missed.