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Veteran ‘Sesame Street’ Writer — an Early Backer of Elmo — Dead at 62

Jun 18, 2012  •  Post A Comment

A 35-year veteran writer for "Sesame Street," who shared in more than 15 Daytime Emmys, has died, reports The New York Times. Judy Freudberg was 62.

The cause was complications from brain cancer, according to the story.

judy-freudberg-elmo.jpgJudy Freudberg with Elmo

Freudberg got her start in the music department of "Sesame Street" in 1971, two years after the show first aired, and became a writer in 1975, the story notes.

She was the first to propose a daily segment focused on Elmo, the popular red Muppet monster, which became "Elmo’s World." She eventually became the head writer for "Elmo’s World," a toddler-focused segment that combined animation, live actors and Muppets.

With Tony Geiss, who died last year, she wrote two animated films produced by Steven Spielberg, "The Land Before Time" and "An American Tail." They also co-wrote the first feature-length "Sesame Street" film, "Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird," the article notes.

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