Three more say goodbye

It has not been entirely a pleasant weekend, as three stars have passed on.

Carroll Spinney, 85, might not have been a household name, but the characters he voiced on Sesame Street certainly were. Spinney, who retired last year, was the original voice behind Oscar and Big Bird. Spinney first capitalized on his fame by appearing on To Tell The Truth. That particular appearance, plus 1978's "Christmas Eve on Sesame Street", are up over at Saturday Morning Archives.

Ron Leibman, 82, earned Tony & Emmy awards during his career, earning a new generation of fans for a recurring role on Friends as Rachel's father. Earlier, Leibman, who at one time was married to Alice star Linda Lavin (they divorced in 1981), had his own series, Kaz, which came and went in one year on CBS.

Rene Auberjonois, 79, left behind a resume dotted with classic roles, including the feature film version of "M*A*S*H", and the 1976 remake of "King Kong", and, on TV, Benson and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Rene joined the cast of Benson in 1980 as Clayton Endicott, and would wind up on the receiving end of Benson's razor sharp wit.

In this clip, Benson (Robert Guillaume) takes Clayton to Insult School.



Auberjonois also charmed the kids with a role in the original Disney adaptation of "The Little Mermaid" and on Smurfs, among a number of cartoon gigs.

Rest in peace, gentlemen.