Bob McGrath, an actor and recording artist who became a generational icon as one of the original human stars of “Sesame Street,” died Sunday. He was 90.
McGrath’s death was confirmed by his family members through a post 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.”
First appearing in the series pilot in 1969, McGrath played Bob Johnson on the series, serving as a “Sesame Street” mainstay across five decades and 47 seasons of broadcast television. His final series appearance came in 2017 with the episode “Having a Ball,” 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 was featured in several of the show’s most iconic sequences, including musical performances of “People in Your Neighborhood” and the theme song for the series.
Beyond the television series, McGrath was one the most prominent human faces of the property across various film, video game and sing-a-long productions.
Born June 13, 1932 in Ottawa, Ill., McGrath studied music at the University of Michigan and, later, the Manhattan School of Music. McGrath married his wife, Ann Logan Sperry, in 1958. Stepping into entertainment with a tenure as a singer on Mitch Miller’s ’60s series “Sing Along With Mitch,” the performer expanded his work as a recording artist before finding his way on “Sesame Street” by the end of the decade.
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