The Count & the Housewife
Jerry Nelson the man behind “The Count” passed away on Aug 23.
Jerry Nelson Puppeteer – Family Photo
Nelson played ‘Count von Count’ (aka the ‘Count’ seen here) on Sesame Street from the 1970’s through his retirement in 2004, but also was the first to perform Mr. Snuffleupagus. Other roles include Gobo Fraggle (my personal favorite) and Marjory the Trash Heap from Fraggle Rock, and multiple characters from the Muppets including Sgt. Floyd Pepper of the Electric Mayhem band, Dr. Julius Strangepork, Kermit’s nephew Robin, and Gonzo’s girlfriend Camilla the Chicken.
Mr. Nelson had a gift with puppets that helped shape generations of viewers. He learned to puppeteer under Bill Baird, the creator of the “Lonely Goatherd” marionette scene in The Sound of Music. Jerry was born on July 10th 1934 in Tulsa Oklahoma and died August 23rd, 2012.
NYtimes obit for Phyllis Diller
She liked jokes that piled on the laughs in rapid succession. A favorite of hers was this one: “I realized on our first wedding anniversary that our marriage was in trouble. Fang gave me luggage. It was packed. My mother damn near suffocated!”
She had six children from her marriage to her first husband (via wiki)