Sesame Street creator and Sesame Workshop co-founder Lloyd Morrisett has died aged 93…cause of death has yet to be revealed
- The Sesame Workshop Instagram account revealed the sad news on Tuesday but did not reveal a cause of death.
- With Joan Ganz Cooney, he founded the Sesame Workshop in May 1968
- Sesame Workshop – then called Children’s Television Workshop (CTW) – created the legendary Sesame Street television show which began airing in November 196
- The idea for the series began in December 1965 when Morrisett noticed how attached his three-year-old daughter was to the family television, leading him to wonder if it could be used to educate children.
- He apparently told Cooney about it over dinner a few months later and the rest is history.
Lloyd Morrisett – who co-founded Sesame Workshop and founded Sesame Street – died Monday at the age of 93.
The Sesame Workshop Instagram account revealed the sad news on Tuesday but did not reveal a cause of death.
It was released with a statement that read, “Sesame Workshop mourns the passing of our esteemed and beloved co-founder Lloyd N. Morrisett, PhD, who passed away at the age of 93.
Icon: Lloyd Morrisett – who co-founded Sesame Workshop and founded Sesame Street – has died aged 93
‘Honorary Life Trustee, Lloyd leaves an indelible and indelible legacy among generations of children around the world, with Sesame Street only the most visible tribute to a lifetime of good work and lasting impact.
“A wise, thoughtful, and above all gracious leader of the workshop for decades, Lloyd was fascinated by the power of technology and constantly thought of new ways to use it to educate.”
With Joan Ganz Cooney, he founded the Sesame Workshop in May 1968 as the statement ended with a quote from his 93-year-old former business partner.
It was posted with a statement that began: “Sesame Workshop mourns the passing of our esteemed and beloved co-founder Lloyd N. Morrisett, PhD, who passed away at the age of 93”
He concluded: “Joan Ganz Cooney, its co-founder and close friend, said it best. “Without Lloyd Morrisett, there would be no Sesame Street. He was the first to come up with the idea 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 greatly missed.
Sesame Workshop – then called Children’s Television Workshop (CTW) – created the legendary Sesame Street television show which began airing in November 1969.
The idea for the series began in December 1965 when Morrisett noticed how attached his three-year-old daughter was to the family television, which led him to consider whether it could be used to educate children.
Dynamic duo: He and Joan Ganz Cooney founded the Sesame Workshop in May 1968, as the two are seen left to right alongside US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the Kennedy Honors in Washington DC in December 2019
He apparently told Cooney about it over dinner a few months later and the rest is history.
Morrisett served as president of Sesame Workshop from 1970 to 2020 and remained on the board from 1970 until his death.
He was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma as the son of Jessie Watson and Lloyd Newton Morrisett.
The family moved to New York in 1933 to escape hardship resulting from the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression.
They then moved to California where Morrisett met Julian Ganz who would later introduce him to Joan Ganz Cooney.
Morrisett also earned his BA from Oberlin University and later did graduate work in psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles and earned his Ph.D. in experimental psychology at Yale University.
Together Now: Front row from left, Susan Pompeo, 2019 Kennedy Center Honorees Michael Tilson Thomas, Linda Ronstadt, Sally Field, Joan Ganz Cooney, Lloyd Morrisett, and Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter, last row from left, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, 2019 Kennedy Center Honorees Philip Bailey, Verdine White, Ralph Johnson, “Sesame Street” characters Abby Cadabby, Big Bird and Elmo, President Kennedy Center David M. Rubenstein, Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss at the Kennedy Honors in December 2019
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