‘Sesame Street’ is in mourning this weekend after the lost of their beloved puppeteer, Caroll Spinney. He was 85 years old.

According to a statement from Sesame Workshop, Spinney passed away on Sunday, December 8th at his home in Connecticut. This was after years of battling dystonia, which is a disorder that affects a person’s muscles.

“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,” the statement reads. “His enormous talent and outsized 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.”

Spinney played Big Bird and voiced Oscar the Grouch for nearly 50 years on the show, and was a part of their big debut in 1969. The goal of the show was to provide entertainment and education for young children, specifically thoughts in lower-income families. The show quickly became a hit, with the Muppets all becoming household names.

In 2015, Spinney stepped down from being Big Bird’s puppeteer, but continued to provide the voice. Then at the age of 84, Spinney announced his retirement after completing episodes that were to be aired in 2019 to mark the show’s 50th year.

“Before I came to ‘Sesame Street,’ I didn’t feel like what I was doing was very important,” Spinney said when he announced his retirement in 2018. “Big Bird helped me find my purpose.”

As Big Bird, Spinney traveled around the world, conducted symphony orchestras, danced with the Rockettes, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was named a Living Legend by the Library of Congress.

“Caroll Spinney’s contributions to ‘Sesame Street’ are countless. He not only gave us Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, he gave so much of himself as well,” ‘Sesame Street’ co-founder Joan Ganz Cooney said in the statement. “We at Sesame Workshop mourn his passing and feel an immense gratitude for all he has given to Sesame Street and to children around the world.”

“Sesame Street” created a special tribute to honor Spinney in 2018, that highlights the hard-work he did with the company.