He was our Bob to the generations of kids who watched “Sesame Street.” He was Bob McGrath, a longtime Teaneck and later Norwood resident of New Jersey. His children said on Facebook that McGrath, 90, passed away on Sunday.
They announced, “The McGrath family has some tragic news to give.” Bob McGrath, our father, passed away today. He passed away quietly at home, surrounded by his loved ones. McGrath, a singer, debuted on the PBS program “Sesame Street” in 1969, as music instructor Bob Johnson.
Over the course of 451 episodes, the amiable, sweater-clad Bob would establish himself as one of the show’s most enduring characters. In a statement posted on Twitter on Sunday, “Sesame Workshop mourns the passing of Bob McGrath, a cherished member of the Sesame Street family for over 50 years.”
According to the statement, “Bob, a founding cast member, 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 the music in their hearts.
Bob was a well-known artist who frequently packed concert halls and radio waves from Las Vegas to Saskatchewan to Tokyo. We are thrilled that he shared so much of his life with us and will be eternally thankful for the many years of passionate creative contributions he made to Sesame Street.
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Bob performed well-known “Sesame” songs like “The People in Your Neighborhood,” which McGrath created in the first season in 1969 while residing in an apartment above Mr. Hooper’s store. He served as “Sesame Street” Bob to countless generations of young viewers. He was Bob McGrath in New Jersey, a lifelong resident of Teaneck and then Norwood. His children posted a notice on Facebook that McGrath, 90, had passed away.
The McGrath family announced that they had some upsetting news to share. “Today, our father Bob McGrath died away. At home, surrounded by his loved ones, he passed away quietly. As music teacher Bob Johnson on the PBS program, singer McGrath joined “Sesame Street” right from the start in 1969.
The amiable, sweater-clad Bob would become one of the iconic characters on the ground-breaking children’s TV program over the course of 451 episodes. The organization that created “Sesame Street” sent a message on Twitter on Sunday, saying, “Sesame Workshop mourns the passing of Bob McGrath, a cherished member of the Sesame Street family for almost 50 years.”
An original cast member, 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 the music in their hearts,” the statement continued.
“A renowned singer all over the world, Bob’s powerful tenor frequently filled concert halls and radio waves from Las Vegas to Saskatchewan to Tokyo. We are incredibly appreciative of his many years of passionately creating for Sesame Street and happy that he shared so much of his life with us.
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Bob, who appeared in the program, resided in an apartment above Mr. Hooper’s shop and performed well-known “Sesame” songs like “The People in Your Neighborhood,” which McGrath created in the show’s first season in 1969.
He was “Sesame Street” Bob to the generations of kids who watched it. He lived for a while in Teaneck, New Jersey, and eventually moved to Norwood. His name was Bob McGrath. According to his children’s Facebook post, McGrath, 90, passed away on Sunday.
The family of McGrath announced their tragic news. Bob McGrath, our father, died today. In his family’s presence, he passed away quietly at home. The PBS program “Sesame Street” welcomed vocalist McGrath as music instructor Bob Johnson right from the start in 1969. One of the longest-running characters on the ground-breaking children’s TV program would be the amiable, sweater-clad Bob over the course of 451 episodes.
Bob McGrath was a cherished member of the Sesame Street family for more than 50 years, according to a statement posted on Twitter by Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization that runs “Sesame Street.”
The statement continued, “A founding cast member, 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 the music in their hearts.
“Bob was a renowned musician who filled concert halls and radio waves all around the world, from Saskatchewan to Tokyo. We are grateful that he spent so much of his life sharing so much of his life with us, and we will be eternally grateful for his many years of passionate creative contributions to Sesame Street.
Sesame Workshop mourns the passing of Bob McGrath, a beloved member of the Sesame Street family for over 50 years.
1/4 pic.twitter.com/juhlmbHo23
— Sesame Workshop (@SesameWorkshop) December 5, 2022
The character of Bob sings well-known “Sesame” songs like “The People in Your Neighborhood,” which McGrath created in the first season of the program in 1969, and lived in an apartment above Mr. Hooper’s store.
McGrath mentioned in another section of his interview for the TV archive that he learned a valuable lesson from Henson. For the sake of Jim, he said, “I think everyone — all the puppeteers, Muppeteers — was inspired to work way beyond their capacity.” Everyone merely wanted to make sure they gave their absolute best effort.
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He thought back to Henson’s response when a young Muppeteer encountered a problem in a scene. There was merely a friendly reminder to try again; there was no criticism.
McGrath said, “He never had any bad energy going.” It was always a good thing.
In 2021, “Sesame Street” actors Frank Oz, Emilio Delgado, Bob McGrath, and Roscoe Orman attended a showing of the HBO documentary “Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street.”
Prior to relocating to Norwood, where they had spent the previous five years, McGrath and his wife Sperry resided in Teaneck for for 60 years.
The actor played Bob in “Sesame Street” films like “Follow That Bird” (1985) and “The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland,” as well as children’s books and albums like “Sing Along with Bob” (1985). Sperry, their five children, three daughters, two sons, and eight grandchildren survive McGrath.
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