Schoolhouse Rock! Singer Jack Sheldon Dies at 88

Jack Sheldon, a trumpeter, singer, and actor who famously contributed to Schoolhouse Rock!, has passed away at the age of 88. Word of Sheldon’s passing was first publicly revealed on Facebook, through a post shared by his biographer and documentarian, Doug McIntyre. The news has since been confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter by Dianne Jimenez, Sheldon’s longtime manager.

Born in 1931, Sheldon began to professionally play music at the age of 13, and grew to become an integral part of the 1950s’ West Coast jazz scene. Sheldon’s musical talents led to him contributing to quite a lot of television theme songs, including playing trumpet on Peter Gunn and The Munsters, as well as The Sandpiper‘s “The Shadow of Your Smile”.

On the acting side, Sheldon’s filmography included Freaky Friday, Gilligan’s Island, Dragnet, and Petticoat Junction. He even briefly had his own sitcom in the 1960s, which was called Run, Buddy, Run.

Sheldon went on to join Schoolhouse Rock! in its second season, and lent his voice to multiple iconic shorts in the series. These included “I’m Just a Bill”, “Conjunction Junction”, “Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla”, and “The Tale of Mr. Morton”. Sheldon’s role in the series was so popular that he went on to parody it on The Simpsons and Family Guy, and even took part in a club tour of Schoolhouse Rock! songs. Outside of that, Sheldon served as the music director and onscreen sidekick for The Merv Griffin Show, a role he held for 18 years.

Sheldon was also candid about his battles with alcoholism and cancer, as well as the debilitating stroke that he suffered in 2011. After the stroke led to him losing the use of his right arm and hand, Sheldon learned how to replay the trumpet left-handed, and performed onstage again in 2013.

“Jack is definitely one of a kind. …Los Angeles has a lot of great players, but I don’t know anyone who can do the comedy, the singing, and the playing like Jack,” Clint Eastwood, who was a friend of Sheldon’s, said in a 2002 Los Angeles Times profile. “Playing technically well is one thing, but Jack gets a great sound that a lot of players just don’t get.”

“It’s a haunting trumpet he plays,” Merv Griffin added. “Henry Mancini once told me, ‘If I’ve got a couple making passionate love onscreen and I’m writing the score, it’s Jack Sheldon’s trumpet I want.’”

Our thoughts are with Sheldon’s family, friends, and fans at this time.