Jerry Nelson, man behind 'Sesame Street's' Count, dies at 78

Jerry Nelson, the skilled puppeteer who played "Sesame Street's" math-addicted vampire Count von Count, has died, The Jim Henson Company confirms. He was 78.

Besides The Count, Nelson also created such indelible Muppet characters as Mr. Snuffleupagus, a shy pachyderm friend to Big Bird; Sgt. Floyd Pepper, bassist of the Electric Mayhem Band; Dr. Julius Strangepork, science officer on the USS Swinetrek; Camilla the Chicken, the other half of Gonzo's inter-species relationship; Lew Zealand, master fish-boomerangist; and Robin, sweet nephew to Kermit the Frog. Nelson also played Gobo Fraggle, the lead subterranean creature of "Fraggle Rock."

I grew up with "Sesame Street" and "The Count" was my all time favorite. Thank you Jerry for all the good childhood memories. You will be missed, may you rest in peace.




Edit to add: Sorry I forgot the source here

The Count was the dogs doodahs. I blame him and the Grouch for how I turned out. RIP.

Thanks for the memories. I grew up with them guys.

One of my favourite characters. I can't even look at the Count without hearing the voice counting and laughing.

VON...hahahahah...TWO... hahaha...

He's left behind a lot of smiling children and that's not a bad score is it? Nice fella.

reply to post by Agarta

Woah Woah Woah Woah!!. Back up a second....

What do you mean by 'Man Behind'?
Are you making the absurd claim that Count Von Count is not a real person??


Obviously, the↓bats are not real, but that is just for safety reasons.
(Insurance premium would be much higher if they used real bats]

But clearly, there are no strings attached to the Count, which means he is unquestionably a real living being, who will continue to live on for many years to come.....

This happened last week I believe. Can't believe there wasn't a thread on it (or maybe there was?) Why didn't you post the link to the news article but used quotes and pictures from it?

reply to post by Irish614


It happened on the 24th I believe. I can't believe I forgot to post the source link in my OP. Thanks for reminding me. I edited it to add the link.