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- In 1990, Big Bird actor Caroll Spinney paid tribute to his late friend and Sesame Street co-star Jim Henson at a memorial service in London.
- The voice actor sang Jim's character Kermit's song, "Bein' Green."
- Despite his composure during the now-iconic performance, Caroll was incredibly emotional underneath the Big Bird suit.
When Muppets creator and Kermit the Frog actor Jim Henson died unexpectedly from pneumonia in May 1990, people around the world were devastated — but perhaps none more than Caroll Spinney, Jim's friend, mentee, and Sesame Street co-star.
Caroll and Jim's relationship began decades earlier, when they met at a Salt Lake City festival for puppeteers in 1969. Caroll was performing at the festival, but his show didn't quite go as planned, according to The New York Times. Even still, Jim, who had been watching from the audience, reportedly approached Caroll and told him that he liked what he was "trying to do" — and not long after, he offered Caroll a spot playing two characters (Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch) on his upcoming TV project, Sesame Street.
The rest is history: Caroll and Jim worked together on Sesame Street (which, as we know now, became a beloved and iconic children's TV show) up until Jim's death in 1990.
So, it only seemed natural that Caroll would play an important role in honoring his late mentor. Two public memorial services were held for Jim: one in New York City that May, and a second two months later in London. It was ahead of those services that Caroll was asked by Jim's son Brian to perform the iconic Kermit tune "Bein' Green" in Jim's honor.
Of course, Caroll obliged, and his two performances of the song — which he gave in character as Big Bird — became instantly iconic. What fans didn't know at the time, however, was just how much emotion Caroll poured into the performances: The Big Bird suit offered him a shield from the eyes of the crowd, but beneath it, he was having trouble holding himself together. As The New York Times reports, Caroll was holding back tears through his entire performance of the song in the video below, just barely managing to finish it without completely breaking down. At the end, he managed to get out the words "Thank you, Kermit," before slowly walking off the stage.
On December 8, Caroll died at the age of 85. Both he and Sesame Street will be honored at the Kennedy Center Honors on CBS on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.
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