Vale: Bob McGrath

Veteran US children’s performer Bob McGrath, one of the original human stars of Sesame Street, has died aged 90.

His family announced on his Facebook page: “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.”

In a statement the Sesame Workshop said, “Bob embodied the melodies of Sesame Street like no one else, and his performances brought joy and wonder to generations of children around the world, whether teaching them the ABCs, the people in their neighborhood, or the simple joy of feeling music in their hearts,” reads Sesame Workshop’s statement. “A revered performer worldwide, Bob’s rich tenor filled airwaves and concert halls from Las Vegas to Saskatchewan to Tokyo many times over. We will be forever grateful for his many years of passionate creative contributions to Sesame Street and honored that he shared so much of his life with us.”

First appearing in the series pilot in 1969, McGrath played the friendly neighbour Bob Johnson, serving as a Sesame Street mainstay across five decades and 47 seasons of broadcast television. His final series appearance came in 2017, but McGrath did not step away from his association with the series after that, continuing to make public appearances at various events tied to Sesame Street.

During his time on the series, McGrath featured in several of the show’s most iconic sequences, including musical performances of “People in Your Neighborhood.”

McGrath was part of an ensemble of actors who shared the screen with the distinctive Muppet characters created by Jim Henson, another media visionary, that included Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Cookie Monster and Grover.

McGrath was indelibly associated with Sesame Street for the rest of his career appaearing in a range of specials.

“Not only is it a great job working with great people, but knowing the impact that Sesame Street has had on millions of kids all over the world has to be the most gratifying thing that anyone could possibly hope for. Having the opportunity of doing this has been phenomenal,” McGrath told the Television Academy’s Archive of American Television in 2004.

Source: Variety