Long before Edward Cullen sparkled his way into the hearts of every American, Sesame Street‘s Count Von Count was the hottest vampire around. And now, the CBC reports, his puppeteer Jerry Nelson died Aug. 23 at the age of 78. 

Though he gave up puppeteering in 2004, Jerry continued to lend his voice to several Muppets until he passed away.

You might also remember Jerry as the voice of Snuffleupagus on Sesame Street, as well as the purple-haired Gobo Fraggle on Jim Henson‘s Fraggle Rock.

To celebrate Jerry’s memory, let’s all enjoy a (slightly twisted) version of “The Song of the Count”:

— Andy Swift

Follow @AndySwift

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