It's odd; I know it's terrible for me to say, but I was waiting for Dave or Frank to die. I knew how old David was getting, and how Frank was slowing down these past few years, but it never in a million years crossed my mind the Jerry would die.
Before he passed, I wasn't even aware of which characters were his. See, with Frank you can always tell; they're outrageous and different and complex, but it's clearly Frank. With David I'd looked him up, because I had to know who the man behind Gonzo was. With Jim, you can just hear it. Same with Richard.
With Jerry, it somehow never occurred to me that Floyd, Robin, the Count, Camilla, and all his other wonderful characters had someone controlling them, let alone that it would be the same person. I had to ask my friend who Jerry Nelson was when I heard he'd passed; when she told me I burst into tears. See, all his characters were so different! Unrecognizable. Now that I know it's Jerry I can hear him, but before all I saw were his characters.
They were some of my favorite characters too. Floyd and Camilla were two of my favorite parts of The Muppet Show, and I went nuts whenever Uncle Deadly showed up. Floyd especially always managed to make me laugh.
I still laugh every time I hear him shout PIIIIGGS INNNN SPAAAAACE!!!
... I miss him.