Death of Jim Henson
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On Wednesday, May 16, 1990, the creator of the Muppets, Jim Henson, passed away at age 53 due to pneumonia. Henson founded his eponymous Jim Henson Company in 1958, pursuing his dreams of becoming a puppeteer. He designed many of the characters for shows like Sesame Street, The Muppet Show and provided voices to a handful of his creations, most prominently Kermit the frog the piano playing Rowlf the dog. After his death, most of his characters were recast. For example, Steve Whitmire took over the role of Kermit the Frog and Ernie for the 22nd and 25th seasons of Sesame Street, Bill Barretta took over the role of Rowlf the Dog, and so on. The Muppets crew attended the funeral service at First Parish Manhattan NY. Carroll Spinney (as Big Bird) performed his rendition of It's Not Easy Being Green. Harry Belefonte performed Turn the World Around to remember Jim.
We love you, Jim Henson, and we will miss you. Rest in peace. (September 24, 1936 - May 16, 1990)