‘Sesame Street’ Legend Dead at 81

A beloved piece of childhood TV history is gone.

Danny Seagren — the multitalented puppeteer who once donned Big Bird’s yellow feathers and later swung into America’s hearts as TV’s first live-action Spider-Man — has died at 81, his family confirmed.

Seagren passed away on November 10, 2025, after a career that helped shape two generations of kids who grew up glued to PBS. A celebration of life will be held later, his loved ones said.

Born in Minneapolis in 1943, Seagren started out as a professional dancer. But his life took a wild turn after meeting a young Jim Henson in New York City. “He wanted to train someone who had never done puppets before,” Seagren recalled in a Comic Con interview years later. Within two weeks, he was performing a reindeer puppet live on The Ed Sullivan Show.

From there, his career soared. Seagren became one of Henson’s trusted performers, helping bring early Sesame Street magic to life. When Caroll Spinney couldn’t make it, Seagren stepped into the Big Bird suit — performing at live events, parades, and even television specials throughout the late ’60s and early ’70s. He was, quite literally, the man behind the feathers.

But Seagren’s talents didn’t stop there. In 1974, he heard that The Electric Company was casting Spider-Man for its kid-friendly “Spidey Super Stories.” Determined to nail the audition, he went full superhero mode — leaping onto the producer’s desk mid-interview. “He said, ‘Oh my God… you got the job,’” Seagren once laughed.

That fearless move made TV history. His silent Spider-Man — complete with thought bubbles instead of dialogue — became a reading aid for millions of kids and inspired a companion Marvel comic book series. Seagren went on to appear in dozens of segments alongside icons like Rita Moreno and Morgan Freeman.

Outside of his web-slinging fame, Seagren worked on beloved shows including Captain Kangaroo, Miss Peach of the Kelly School, and PBS’s Who’s Afraid of Opera? He even snagged a Daytime Emmy in 1980 for a Thanksgiving special.

Later in life, Seagren was a regular on the comic-con circuit, joyfully meeting the now-grown fans who once learned to read from his Spider-Man skits. His family remembered him as a man of “boundless creativity and heart” who was “Ernie’s right hand” and forever part of the Muppet legacy.

After decades in show business, Seagren settled in Little River, South Carolina, trading Broadway lights for sunshine and golf. His loved ones ask that donations be made in his honor to the Entertainment Community Fund.

Rest easy, Big Bird. Fly high, Spidey.