Caroll Spinney, the man who brought popular children's characters including Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch to life, has died at the age of 85.

Key points: Caroll Spinney retired from voice work in 2018

Caroll Spinney retired from voice work in 2018 He said that being Big Bird made him a "better person"

He said that being Big Bird made him a "better person" His interest in puppets started when he was a child

Spinney, who suffered from the movement disorder dystonia, was one of the original cast members of Sesame Street and had been working with the characters for 50 years.

"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," show co-founder Joan Ganz Cooney said in a statement.

Big Bird, Oscar and Spinney were part of the ground-breaking children's show when it made its debut on November 10, 1969, with the goal of entertaining and educating young children, especially those in low-income families.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 1 minute 53 seconds 1 m 53 s Caroll Spinney said he received amusing letters from children during his 50 years on 'Sesame Street'

Spinney retired from wearing the Big Bird costume in 2015 but continued to provide his voice until he stopped working altogether in October 2018, aged 84.

He completed several episodes that were to be aired in 2019 to mark the show's 50th year.

With Spinney inside, Big Bird danced with the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, sang at Carnegie Hall, passed out Emmy awards, appeared on the cover of Time magazine and toured China with Bob Hope.

He performed with everyone from Johnny Cash to Michael Jackson.

Revealing documentary

Bird Bird, pictured with Abby Cadabby and Elmo, was brought to life by Caroll Spinney for 50 years. ( AP: Kevin Wolf )

Spinney's career inside the Big Bird costume was portrayed in the 2015 documentary I Am Big Bird, which covered some of his darker moments, including suicidal thoughts after his first wife left him and took their kids, and the jealousy he felt when the character Elmo became more popular than Big Bird.

He later credited his 1979 marriage to Debra Gilroy, who worked for the company that produced Sesame Street, for turning his life around.

The beloved Big Bird is a fluffy pear-shaped mass of yellow-dyed turkey feathers set atop spindly legs and stands at more than 2.4 meters tall. His original portrayal was of a goof but Spinney developed him into a character whom children could relate to and adored as they learnt about letters and numbers.

Big Bird was often flustered but persevered with the help of his neighbours on Sesame Street, where puppet creatures and humans live side-by-side.

Spinney also gave life to Big Bird's antithesis, Oscar the Grouch, the furry green creature who offered his curmudgeonly views on the goings-on on Sesame Street.

He said the gravelly voice he gave Oscar — who lives in a garbage can and sings about his love of trash — was an imitation of the tough-talking New York cab driver who took Spinney to the studio the day he was to debut the character.

"Through Big Bird I've learned things that have changed my life, lessons that have stayed with me even when I'm not in the puppet," Spinney wrote in his book, The Wisdom of Big Bird (and Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch).

"I'm certain that being a bird has made me a better person."

In a statement announcing his retirement in 2018, Spinney said that "even as I step down from my roles, I feel I will always be Big Bird. And even Oscar, once in a while".

A physically demanding role

Carrol Spinney, pictured in 2001, performed with world-famous actors and musicians at Sesame Street. ( AP: Steve Miller )

Spinney said Big Bird's voice was actually his own, just a little higher, but bringing him to life was physically demanding.

He had to keep his right hand straight up in Big Bird's head while his left arm was in the costume's left wing. He operated the right wing by pulling on a cord and used an interior video monitor to see what was going on in front of him.

Spinney was close to Jim Henson, the man behind Sesame Street and the Muppets puppet troupe, and he wore the full Big Bird costume when he sang the Muppet anthem Bein' Green at Henson's funeral in 1990.

Big Bird and death also were part of one of the most memorable moments on Sesame Street: when actor Will Lee, who played storekeeper Mr Hooper, died in 1982, it was turned into a lesson for children as the show's cast gathered around Big Bird to explain the loss of the friend who had made him birdseed milkshakes.

"When we finished there were tears on all the actors' faces," Spinney said in an interview on the Sesame Street website. "When I came out of the suit, I had to have a towel because I had been crying."

Spinney grew up in Acton, Massachusetts, and developed his interest in puppets as a child.

He said he never had a desire to be seen by the audience.

He pursued puppetry in his spare time while in the Air Force by starting a kids' show for a Las Vegas television station.

When he returned to Boston, he was part of the Bozo the Clown Show before Mr Henson brought him to Sesame Street.

Reuters