'Sesame Street' puppeteer Caroll Spinney dies at 85

Puppeteer Caroll Spinney, who brought Big Bird to life on the iconic children's show "Sesame Street" for half a century, died on Sunday at the age of 85.

Spinney died at home in Connecticut after living with the movement disorder dystonia for some time, according to a statement from Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization that produces the show.

The actor had announced his retirement from the show last year, having hand-picked successors to play both Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch -- two characters he helped create and which marked the childhoods of millions.

"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," said the statement from his colleagues.

"His legacy here at Sesame Workshop and in the cultural firmament will be unending." "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."