Photo: Sesame Workshop
By now, most people have heard that beloved voice actor and puppeteer Jerry Nelson passed away on Thursday. The news, while not a total surprise given Nelson’s health issues over the past decade, was a huge blow to Muppets fans everywhere.
Most people probably know Nelson as the voice and puppeteer of the numbers-obsessed Count von Count from Sesame Street, but for those of us who never miss a Henson production, his influence stretches far and wide. Nelson’s puppeteering career started back in the 1950s with Bil Baird and he was soon helping Jim Henson at The Jimmy Dean Show. His involvement with the Muppets spans six decades and it’s hard to name a Henson project that he wasn’t in.
I remember the surprise and pleasure of figuring out, at age eight, that the same guy who voiced Herry Monster was also Gobo Fraggle, Robin the Frog, and Emmet Otter. Little did I know at that time that Nelson also portrayed Lew Zealand, Camilla the Chicken, and Uncle Deadly. He was also the original puppeteer for Snuffleupagus, and played countless other roles.
Nelson was an accomplished musician and (aside from the late Richard Hunt, who was his protégé) had arguably the best singing voice in the Jim Henson Company. Who can forget Robin the Frog’s performance of “Halfway Down the Stairs” or Emmet Otter’s “When the River Meets the Sea”. Nelson even released an album, Truro Daydrams, in 2009 (it’s available for streaming on Spotify and for purchase at CDBaby).
Here’s Jerry and fellow Muppeteer Louise Gold performing “When the River Meets the Sea” at Jim Henson’s memorial services in 1990. I’m not going to lie. I couldn’t make it through the whole video without something getting in my eye.
Rest in peace, Jerry Nelson. Through your decades of work, you gave millions the gifts of laughter and learning and music. You spread pure and earnest joy during a time when cynicism and boredom seemed the norm. Thank you.
