Toots Thielemans, Who Played Harmonica for 'Sesame Street' Theme, Dies at 94

Toots Thielemans, the renowned Belgian jazz musician whose memory will be as omnipresent as the music he played for the "Sesame Street" theme, died Monday. He was 94.

Thielemans, whose real name was Jean-Baptiste, was known as "Toots." His manager told the AFP the legendary jazz harmonica player died in his sleep at a hospital in Brussels. Thielemans retired in 2004 and was recently hospitalized with a broken arm, the New York Times reported.

His music was known not only on "Sesame Street" but was in the movies "Midnight Cowboy" and "The Getaway." Thielemans performed alongside and collaborated with scores of great musicians, including Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker, Edith Piaf, Peggy Lee, Quincy Jones and Billy Joel.

"We have lost a great musician, a heart-warming personality. All my thoughts are with the family and friends of Toots Thielemans,'' Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel tweeted.

Born in Belgium in 1922, Thielemans began playing the accordion at the age of 3 and picked up the harmonica in his teens. As noted in the New York Times obituary, he even learned to play the guitar, inspired by another musical great, Django Reinhardt. He moved to the United States in 1951, eventually becoming a citizen.

Image by Ron van der Kolk - Own work, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/...