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Birth Name

Mini Biography

Christine Nelson was born to Jacquie and Jerry Nelson in New York in 1960. Throughout her short life, Christine battled cystic fibrosis, a disease of the exocrine glands which caused numerous lung infections and other illnesses. Her mother Jacquie made a career in the fashion world. Her father, Jerry, is known for his work with Jim Henson and the Muppets, and passed his performer's passion on to Christine, who aspired to become an actress after completing high school. After going to many public schools in New York and Connecticut, she attended Rye Country Day School, a prestigious private school with a strong focus on stage and drama, and briefly attended college at Emerson in Boston, MA but was forced to withdraw because of illness. She met and became friends with Jim Henson and the Muppets as well as many cast members of Saturday Night Live, such as Gilda Radner, John Belushi and Chevy Chase. In 1981, she won a small speaking part in The Great Muppet Caper (1981), as the girl who said, "Look Dad, there's a bear!" to which her companion, played by real life dad Jerry, replied, "No Christine, that's a frog...bears wear hats!" Christine, after fighting her illness valiantly for over two decades, passed away in September, 1982.

Trivia

Daughter of legendary Muppet performer Jerry Nelson.

While in high school she was a member of a band called "The Pids". She was a singer referred to as "Peach Pid".

The incredible story of this amazing young woman is immortalized in a biography called "Give Me One Wish", written by her mother, Jackie Gordon.

At the time of her passing, the life expectancy of a person with Cystic Fibrosis was 15 - Christine lived to be 21.

... Christine Spike Nelson on ...

Christine Nelson