Jefferson County Chief Deputy Coroner Carl Blesch confirmed that Scott died early Monday afternoon at a Morrison nursing care center.

For four decades, thousands of Colorado Children children "heard a kind and caring voice singing 'Happy Berfday To You.' The voice came from the always smiling, painted face of Russell Scott,'" according to a profile on the Emmy awarding-winning performer at the website for the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

From 1958 to 1998, Colorado children began their days as Blinky greeted them with his "Good morning/Glad to see you!" song, the Denver Post reported.

Born in Enid, Okla., Russell landed a job hosting a live daily television show on KKTV in Colorado Springs in 1960, the academy's website said.

Six years later he was lured away to Denver where Blinky’s Fun Club continued to teach and entertain children at KWGN-TV.

"Blinky always stressed safety to his viewers: Don’t play with matches, stay out of the streets, and mind mom and dad -- were familiar themes," the website said. "Russell’s love of performing is matched with his love and compassion for the children."

"Blinky the Clown was created by Russell for the sole purpose of entertaining children; for many of these children, appearing on Blinky’s Fun Club was so memorable that they returned as adults, bringing their own children on the show," the website said.

After retiring, Scott owned Blinky's Antiques and Collectibles on South Broadway in Denver for 22 years.

According to the academy website, Scott came to his antique shop one day to find someone had broken in. But nothing was missing.

Instead Scott found a note of apology from the would-be burglar. It said,"I sat on your lap when I was 5 years old. I just couldn’t rob Blinky."

Link to the Denver Post story: http://tinyurl.com/9qode9a Link

Link to the Emmy Awards profile of Russell Scott: http://tinyurl.com/8ks78r7 Link

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