One of the saddest things I recently heard was the scandal involving Elmo's puppeteer, Kevin Clash. All the characters in Sesame Street are pretty special but Elmo captured my daughter's heart and mine twenty five years ago when she was five years old and I began to watch the show for her sake. His sweet, distinctive and innocent voice was an immediate hit with my special child, and although I heard he taped episodes till the year 2014, Sesame Street will never be the same without Kevin Clash. The show may go on with another puppeteer as Elmo but there was only one original and I'm afraid our beloved Elmo will eventually have to fade out into the sunset, same as his now beleaguered owner. Are the allegations true? Is Kevin Clash a victim of fame? Why are these people coming out of the woodwork now? Whatever he did or didn't do, Kevin Clash created a legend, an unforgettable character and for that we should be grateful. This was a man who obviously loved his work and this has to be devastating to him. Human beings are complex and maybe he had a dark side, a shameful secret, it's sad but that doesn't take away his contribution. He made millions of children happy throughout the world, he brought us magic, that part can't not be tarnished, so let's not judge him too harshly.
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