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Bob McGrath, one of the original human performers on Sesame Street, has died. He was 90. His family broke the news on his official Facebook page, writing that he “died peacefully at home, surrounded by his family.” McGrath was on Sesame Street from the show’s inception in 1969 until 2016. He sang many of the show’s classic songs, including “Sing, Sing a Song” and “The People in Your Neighborhood.”
According to Billboard, McGrath got his start in showbiz hosting his own high-school radio show. From there, his gigs ranged from singing Gregorian chants at funerals, being in the chorus for Leonard Bernstein, and singing commercial jingles. From his stint on an early TV show, Sing Along With Mitch, McGrath became big in Japan. “We had four and five thousand teenagers at every concert,” McGrath recalled. “We were quite amazed — why are these teenagers listening to all these old songs? They watched the show because they were very anxious to learn English; we sang clearly, and the [lyrics were on the screen].” He became something of a pop idol, singing Japanese ballads phonetically in his fine Irish tenor.
McGrath was with Sesame Street from the pilot, and worked on the show for decades thereafter. One of his most well-remembered episodes was the one which dealt with the death of Mr. Hooper. McGrath had shared a dressing room with the actor who’d played Hooper, Will Lee. “When we finished filming, Jon Stone wanted to redo one little section. We got about two minutes into the segment before Jon told us to forget it,” McGrath said. “We couldn’t take it, we were all just breaking up. So what you see in the episode is the first and only take of that whole show.” Fans shared their love of McGrath online, including the Muppet History account, which shared a moment when Bob and Mr. Hooper shared holiday greetings for their respective faiths.