“End of an era”: Sesame Street’s Aart Staartjes dies at 81

Aart Staartjes, the moody and loveable Meneer Aart from Sesame Street died from injuries from a traffic accident in Leeuwarden, reports RTL Nieuws. The actor was 81-years-old and loved by countless generations of Dutch children.

He was thrown out of his vehicle when a car and his moped collided. He succumbed to injuries at a hospital in Leeuwarden. The police are investigating what caused the accident.

The Dutch are going to miss Meneer Aart

Being someone who believed that change will come with the children, young Dutchies (including Prime Minister Rutte) will remember Aart from his Sesame Street days and from shows like De StratemakeropzeeshowJJ Bomb formerly Kindervriend, De film van Ome Willem, and The Core.

Translation: What sad news: Aart Staartjes passed away. I grew up with him like so many others (De Stratemakeropzeeshow, De film van Ome Willem, Sesame Street). An icon from our childhood. And always remained a striking person. I wish his loved ones much strength with this big loss.

His colleagues also expressed their shock at hearing the news of his passing. Bert Plagman, or better known (heard) as Tommie’s voiceover on Sesame Street, said, “It was very nice to work with him. He was a pleasant person. Over the years we also had a lot of personal contact.”

Translation: This man is part of childhood and the memories of so many people. It’s like we all have to miss a family member. Goodbye dear Mr. Aart. Thanks for all the beauty. #AartStaartjes

Were you one of the Dutchies who enjoyed watching and learning from Mr. Aart? Which was your favourite TV moment of his? Let us know in the comments below! May his soul rest in peace.

Kavana Desai
Kavana Desaihttps://medium.com/@kavanadesai
Coping with the aftermath of her 3-year stint in the Netherlands, Kavana is a writer, content creator and editor for DutchReview. Hailing from India, she frequently blogs about the Netherlands, being Indian in the Netherlands, and everything in between. She envisions herself to one day be the youngest person to win that Nobel Prize for Literature (she is also not very humble but welcomes only constructive criticism). In the meantime, she fills her days with writing for DutchReview, writing her master's thesis on art theft, and writing fiction that will hopefully see the light of day soon.

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