"What a loss for children everywhere. ..little children and grown up children. Jerry's voice could twist and turn, and COUNT and laugh, and sing and growl....He must have had a hundred voices, as did our beloved daughter Christine Elizabeth Nelson. Jerry and I were married for 7 years and it was sometime after she was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis that our marriage ended.
But Jerry and I remained good friends and we held Christine's hand together when she died in 1982. Many of Christine's happiest times were with her father, on the Sesame Street set, on Fire Island for many summers, in London with him making The Great Muppet Caper where she had a small speaking part with her father, and when it was time to film her scene, Christine didn't like what the wardrobe department had selected for her to wear, so Christine and Jerry both went to Jim Henson and Jerry said,
"Jim, Christine isn't happy with the wardrobe department's choice for her scene with me, she wants to wear what she has on, okay?"
Jim looked her up and down and said, "Great." And then Jerry said, "and I'm going to wear what I have on too"....and so they did. What a pair they were. What wonderful imps.
All his life, Jerry brought joy and laugher and giggles to all who heard him. There was only one Jerry Nelson, although the COUNT would have preferred more Jerries, so he could count them.
Good by dear Jerry. No one is laughing today
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