Jerry's singing voice always had this slight imperfection, it didn't matter what character he was performing, there was always this little raspy undertone. That helped me connect to his songs, it made them feel real, music should never be perfectly polished, it's about feelings and expression.
When my son was born, I decided that while so many kids loved Elmo that I wanted to expose him to the side of the Muppets I always connected with. That side was Jerry.
I shared Mr. Bassman with him first and he loved the colors and the animation of Floyd and Scooter. When it was time for bed we'd listen to his version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps or Halfway down the Stairs. As he got older he got into Elmo as all kids do, but I would still get a request for one of Jerry's performances here and there.
This morning upon hearing the news, I sat down with my son on the couch and we went through about 5 or 6 six of Jerry's songs. He is only 2 now but he sat on my lap and gazed into the screen without squirming or requesting Elmo, Kermit or any of his other friends, it was like he knew. We weren't saying goodbye to an old friend we were helping to keep him alive.
Rest in peace Jerry and thank you for everything you left behind.