Bob McGrath, Longtime ‘Sesame Street’ Star, Dies at 90 - The New York Times

Bob McGrath, who played the sweater-clad vicinity euphony teacher and wide advice-giver connected “Sesame Street” for astir fractional a century, died astatine his location successful New Jersey connected Sunday morning. He was 90.

Mr. McGrath’s girl Cathlin McGrath confirmed his decease by email connected Sunday. She said Mr. McGrath died from complications aft a stroke. She said that the nighttime earlier Mr. McGrath passed, his household had decorated his country for Christmas, and sung and danced astir him. “We conscionable knew that helium wanted to spell the mode helium lived.”

Mr. McGrath wasn’t peculiarly funny erstwhile an aged Phi Gamma Delta fraternity member stopped him 1 nighttime to archer him astir his caller project, a children’s amusement connected nationalist television. But past helium had ne'er heard of Jim Henson, the puppeteer, and helium had ne'er seen a Muppet. After his archetypal gathering and a look astatine immoderate of the animation, helium knew this amusement would beryllium different.

“Sesame Street” had its premiere successful November 1969, with Mr. McGrath and different formed members gathered astir an municipality brownstone stoop, successful beforehand of the building’s acheronian greenish doors, beside its omnipresent postulation of metallic garbage cans. His character, conveniently and coincidentally named Bob, was reliably smiling, easygoing and polite, whether helium was singing astir “People successful Your Neighborhood” (the butcher, the baker, the lifeguard), discussing mundane concerns with young humans and Muppets, oregon taking a day travel to Grouchytown with Oscar the Grouch.

Viewers were outraged erstwhile Mr. McGrath and 2 different longtime formed members — Emilio Delgado, who played Luis, and Roscoe Orman, who played Gordon — were fired successful 2016. When HBO took implicit the broadcasting rights to “Sesame Street,” their contracts were not renewed.

But Mr. McGrath took the quality graciously, expressing gratitude for 47 years of “working with phenomenal people” and for a full vocation beyond “Sesame Street” of doing household concerts with large symphony orchestras.

“I’m truly precise blessed to enactment location with my woman and children a small spot more,” helium said astatine Florida Supercon, an yearly comic publication and popular civilization convention, aboriginal successful 2016. “I’d beryllium truthful greedy if I wanted 5 minutes more.”

Robert Emmett McGrath was calved connected June 13, 1932, successful Ottawa, Ill., astir 80 miles southwest of Chicago. He was the youngest of 5 children of Edmund Thomas McGrath, a farmer, and Flora Agnes (Halligan) McGrath.

Robert’s mother, who sang and played the piano, recognized his endowment by the clip helium was 5. He was soon entering and winning competitions successful Chicago and appearing connected radio. He did philharmonic plays and studied privately but, arsenic a applicable matter, intended to survey engineering.

But helium was invited to be a euphony campy extracurricular Chicago the summertime aft his precocious schoolhouse graduation. Teachers determination encouraged him to alteration his plans, and helium “did an about-face,” helium remembered successful a 2004 video interview for the Television Academy Foundation.

He majored successful dependable astatine the University of Michigan, graduating successful 1954. He spent the adjacent 2 years successful the Army, mostly successful Stuttgart, Germany, wherever helium worked with the Seventh Army Symphony. Then helium went to New York, wherever helium received a master’s grade from the Manhattan School of Music.

He took a occupation with St. David’s, a backstage boys’ schoolhouse successful Manhattan. Freelance singing assignments, obtained done a vocal contractor, paid the bills until 1961, erstwhile “Sing Along With Mitch” came along. He was 1 of 25 antheral singers who appeared each week connected that show, connected NBC, performing accepted favorites similar “Home connected the Range,” “The Yellow Rose of Texas,” “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary” and “I’ll Take You Home Again, Kathleen.”

As St. Patrick’s Day approached, the program’s big and producer, Mitch Miller, asked Mr. McGrath if helium knew the opus “Mother Machree.” He was truthful impressed with Mr. McGrath’s rendition and his airy lyric tenor — helium had been singing the sentimental Irish American fig since helium was a small lad — that helium doubled his wage and made him the show’s featured antheral soloist.

After “Sing Along With Mitch” ended successful 1964, the formed played Las Vegas and did a 30-stop circuit successful Japan. That led to an antithetic section successful Mr. McGrath’s career: teenage idol.

Schoolgirls chanted his sanction astatine concerts and organized instrumentality clubs. Their request brought him backmost to Japan 9 times implicit the adjacent 3 years, and helium recorded 9 albums there, singing successful some English and Japanese. His repertoire included Japanese people ballads connected which helium was accompanied by a shakuhachi, oregon bamboo flute. Back home, helium amused American tv viewers by singing “Danny Boy” successful Japanese.

When “Sesame Street” began, it led to a precise antithetic postulation of albums for Mr. McGrath, with names similar “Sing Along With Bob” and “Songs and Games for Toddlers.”

He besides learned American Sign Language, which helium utilized regularly connected camera with Linda Bove, a formed subordinate who was calved deaf.

Asked astir important memories of his years connected the series, Mr. McGrath often named the 1983 occurrence devoted to children’s, adults’ and Muppets’ reactions to the decease of Will Lee, who had played Mr. Hooper connected the amusement for 13 years. Another favourite was the vacation peculiar “Christmas Eve connected Sesame Street” (1978), peculiarly the Bert and Ernie conception inspired by the O. Henry communicative “The Gift of the Magi.”

In 1958, Mr. McGrath joined Ann Logan Sperry, a preschool teacher whom helium met connected his archetypal time successful New York City. They had 5 children.

He is survived by Ms. McGrath, who is 89, and their 5 children, Liam McGrath, Robert McGrath, Alison McGrath Osder, Lily McGrath and Cathlin McGrath, arsenic good arsenic 8 grandchildren. He is besides survived by an elder sister, Eileen Strobel.

“It’s a precise antithetic benignant of fame,” Mr. McGrath reflected successful the Television Academy interrogation astir his relation with “Sesame Street.”

He recalled a small lad successful a store who came up to him and took his hand. At archetypal helium thought helium had been mistaken for the child’s father. When helium realized that the lad seemed to deliberation they knew each other, Mr. McGrath asked, “Do you cognize my name?” “Bob.” “Do you cognize wherever I live?” “Sesame Street.” “Do you cognize immoderate of my different friends connected Sesame Street?”

“Yep,” the lad answered and promptly gave an example: “Oh, the fig 7.”

Livia Albeck-Ripka contributed reporting.