Puppeteer Jerry Nelson Dies

R.I.P.

Updated Apr. 21, 2017 4:07PM EDT / Published Aug. 25, 2012 8:36AM EDT

Gil Vaknin / AP Photo

It's a tough day on Sesame Street. Jerry Nelson, the puppeteer behind the Count, the show's Transylvanian numbers hound, died Thursday night at age 78. Nelson, who also worked on Fraggle Rock, Muppets Tonight, and the 1984 movie The Muppets Take Manhattan, suffered from emphysema and stopped physically operating puppets several years ago, although he kept doing voice work. Sesame Street executive producer Carol-Lynn Parente said that Nelson's characters reflected his personality: "Silly, fun, vulnerable, passionate, and musical, for sure."

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Puppeteer Jerry Nelson Dies

Gil Vaknin / AP Photo