One of the iconic performers behind Sesame Street has died. The New York Daily News reports Caroll Spinney--the puppeteer who played Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch--died in his sleep on Sunday at age 85. He had been suffering from the movement disorder dystonia. Spinney joined Sesame Street in its inaugural season in 1969 and retired in October 2018. A tribute on the Sesame Workshop site reads, “Caroll was an artistic genius whose kind and loving view of the world helped shape and define Sesame Street from its earliest days in 1969 through five decades, and his legacy here at Sesame Workshop and in the cultural firmament will be unending." It continues, “His enormous talent and out-sized heart were perfectly suited to playing the larger-than-life yellow bird who brought joy to generations of children and countless fans of all ages around the world, and his lovably cantankerous grouch gave us all permission to be cranky once in a while.”