Sesame Street Loses A Piece Of Its Magic With The Sad Death Of Co-Creator Lloyd Morrisett

The last couple of years have not been kind to "Sesame Street" fans. Last March, longtime cast member Emilio Delgado – who played Luis on the show — passed away at 81-years-old (via Looper). Then, his costar Bob McGrath, who played the show's affable music teacher Bob, died in December 2022 at age 90 as reported by The New York Times, marking another "Sesame Street" actor who passed away. Previously, both McGrath and Delgado had been unceremoniously fired by producers in 2016, launching a flurry of accusations of ageism (via Business Insider). The show's producer, Sesame Workshop, then distanced itself from HBO in light of the decision to let the actors go.

Now, "Sesame Street" fans will have to contend with yet more sad news, as Lloyd Morrisett — who co-created the show and contributed greatly to its success — passed away this week. The news was broken by Sesame Workshop (via Variety), which Morrisett co-found when it was still known as Children's Television Workshop. Morrisett, who was 93 at the time of his passing, leaves behind a grand legacy.

After conceiving the idea for "Sesame Street" with Joan Ganz Cooney in 1966 (via Time), Lloyd Morrisett founded the Children's Television Workshop with Cooney in 1968. Leapfrogging off of the success of the company, the duo was able to turn their idea into a reality and created "Sesame Street" in 1969 (via Variety). Their original idea was to launch a show that could help disadvantaged children be ready for school. As might be expected, Cooney shared a kind and moving statement about his business partner and friend following the Morrisett's passing. 

"Without Lloyd Morrisett, there would be no 'Sesame Street,'" Cooney stated. "It was he who first came up with the notion of using television to teach preschoolers basic skills, such as letters and numbers. He was a trusted partner and loyal friend to me for over fifty years, and he will be sorely missed."

Morrisett, who devoted his life to education, served as a board member at Children's Television Workshop (later Sesame Workshop) until he died. An official cause of death has yet to be revealed.