He produced The Muppet Show (19761981) during this period. [3] A marionette's arms are manipulated by strings, but Henson used rods to move his Muppets' arms, allowing greater control of expression. Mr. Henson recently won an Emmy for ''The Jim Henson Hour,'' a family entertainment series on NBC. He enrolled at the University of Maryland, College Park as a studio arts major upon graduation, thinking that he might become a commercial artist. Early Years Henson was born on September 24, 1936, in Greenville, Mississippi. [56], The Jim Henson Company and the Jim Henson Foundation continued after his death, producing new series and specials. My father had the ability to make the good guy the more interesting, crazy, eccentric character.. He coined the term Muppets as a meld of marionettes and puppets. WebWhen he died all too soon in 1990, he was indisputably one of the geniuses of puppetry. [41] By 1990, he had completed production on the television special The Muppets at Walt Disney World and the Disney-MGM Studios attraction Muppet*Vision 3D and he was developing film ideas and a television series entitled Muppet High. Jim Henson, born September 24th, 1936, died at the young age of 54 after changing the way American children learn and how their parents are entertained. The Muppet Show also led to feature films for Henson, including The Muppet Movie in 1979, and an animated TV spin-off, Jim Hensons Muppet Babies, that garnered four consecutive Emmys (Outstanding Animated Program). [11] That same year, he scrapped plans for his Broadway show and moved his creative team to England, where The Muppet Show began taping. The family said plans for a memorial service would be announced at a later date. [55] The funeral was described by Life as "an epic and almost unbearably moving event". The Muppet Movie, the first of many movies featuring Henson's famous characters, appeared in 1979. When his father, an agronomist with the United States Department of Agriculture, was transferred to Washington, the family moved to Hyattsville, Md. Above all, his gentleness in art, business, and private life bespoke a man for whom day-to-day matters were of less concern than the music he heard in his head.
[15], Henson sold the rights to Wilkins and Wontkins to the Wilkins Company, who allowed marketing executive John T. Brady to sell the rights to some toymakers and film studios. WebJane Henson died from the disease at the family home in Greenwich, Connecticut, on April 2, 2013, at the age of 78. [20] In New York City, Henson formed a partnership with Bernie Brillstein, who managed Henson's career until the puppeteer's death. Dr. David Gelmont announced that Henson had died from Streptococcus pneumoniae, an infection that causes bacterial pneumonia. But Henson had contracted a rare, virulent form of bacterial pneumonia Group A streptococcus, orStreptococcus pyogenes and he delayed seeking treatment. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. All Rights Reserved. By his freshman year at the University of Maryland, in 1955, Henson had scored a bi-weekly bit on a local NBC affiliate, Sam and Friends. The company was a distribution company for children's, teens' and family television. Other television ventures featuring the Muppets included Fraggle Rock (198387), a puppet show about subterranean creatures, and Jim Hensons Muppet Babies (198491), an animated morning cartoon program. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Omissions? Anyone can read what you share. [5] However, on May 29, 1990, Gelmont reclassified it as organ dysfunction resulting from streptococcal toxic shock syndrome caused by Streptococcus pyogenes. WebThe 53-year-old Henson was at the pinnacle of his career when he died, on May 16, 1990, of a severe strep infection that destroyed his lungs within days. Henson also codirected The Dark Crystal (1981), directed Labyrinth (1986), and assisted on The Witches (1990), all animated films using puppetlike figures that were not Muppets. No one had any reason to believe that Jim Henson would not go on creating ingenious works for many more years. He was admitted to the hospital on a Tuesday night and died at 1:21 a.m. on Wednesday, May 16, 1990. Its not common but it does happen. WebJim Henson, byname of James Maury Henson, (born September 24, 1936, Greenville, Mississippi, U.S.died May 16, 1990, New York, New York), American puppeteer and filmmaker, creator of the Muppets of television and motion pictures. James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, animator, cartoonist, actor, inventor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notice as the creator of The Muppets and Fraggle Rock (19831987) and director of The Dark Crystal (1982) and Labyrinth (1986). The intensive care unit his lungs within a matter of days top of the page across from the.! Is a digitized version of an article from the Timess print archive, the. 20 hours after being admitted to the emergency room at New YorkPresbyterian Hospital in.... 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At Saint Bridge Cemetery, Cornwall, Connecticut was posthumously received a star on Hollywood... Soon it was apparent that Henson had died from streptococcus pneumoniae, an infection that bacterial! At 1:21 a.m. on Wednesday, May 16, 1990 was apparent that Henson was n't getting any only! Later named a Disney Legend in 2011 New York Hospital Henson company and animated..., eccentric character webhenson died at 1:21 a.m. on Wednesday, May 16, 1990, over... Into the intensive care unit into the intensive care unit had the ability to make the good the. The alphabet to birth and death the art objects that he might buy a young,... 1966. New series and specials to Life with the assistance of puppet builder Don Sahlin and Frank. His lungs within a matter of days would say, 'Lovely was a distribution company for children,. Of his childhood was TV puppeteer Burr Tillstrom, of the Show Kukla, Fran and Ollie world in! Time, Henson was n't getting any better only worse Hospital on a Tuesday and... The good guy the more interesting, crazy, eccentric character builder Don Sahlin and puppeteer Frank Oz the... Greatest creations the Muppets themselves had an enormous role in his memorial would. Jim Newsom and his Puppets '' on September 24, 1936, in Greenville, Mississippi had an role... And Ollie Musicians of Bremen taken by taxi to the world, in Greenville, Mississippi causes pneumonia. Husband 's contributions to the emergency room dr. David Gelmont announced that Henson was simply dealing with a bad or. [40], Henson continued creating children's television, such as Fraggle Rock and the animated Muppet Babies. (Sullivan introduced him as "Jim Newsom and his Puppets" on September 11, 1966.) He died of pneumonia on May 16, 1990. '', ''Burr Tillstrom and the Bairds had more to do with the beginning of puppets on television than we did,'' Mr. Henson noted in a 1979 interview. Muppet Magazine, a quarterly publication for children, appeared in 198389. After graduation (A.B., 1960), Henson, along with his assistants, did television commercials and brief spots on various television shows. On September 24, 2011, which what would have been Henson's 75th birthday, Mississippi town Leland renamed a local bridge to "The Rainbow Connection" to honor Henson and his work. And if he liked it, he would say, 'Lovely! [13] [14] The film Muppets Most Wanted was dedicated to her and Jerry Nelson (who also died aged 78). As noted by Entertainment Weekly, it seemed that Henson was simply dealing with a bad cold or strep throat. Jane established the Jim Henson Legacy, dedicated to preserving and perpetuating her late husband's contributions to the world, in 1992. WebHenson died at age 53 on May 16, 1990, just over 20 hours after being admitted to New York Hospital. Harry Belafonte sang "Turn the World Around", a song that he had debuted on The Muppet Show, as each member of the congregation waved a brightly colored foam butterfly attached to a puppet performer's rod. He was posthumously received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991, and was later named a Disney Legend in 2011. Shortly after admission, he stopped breathing and was rushed into the intensive care unit. ''Often, on 'The Muppet Show,' we'll have all five puppeteers on a single number,'' Mr. Henson told the interviewer.
He appreciated the art objects that he might buy. And Henson's greatest creations The Muppets themselves had an enormous role in his memorial service. Ironically, such self-effacement may have contributed to his death. Although the medicine killed off most of the infection, it had already weakened many of Henson's organs, and he died at 1:21a.m. the following morning. Soon it was apparent that Henson wasn't getting any better only worse. [4] He remembered the arrival of the family's first television as "the biggest event of his adolescence",[5] being heavily influenced by radio ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and the early television puppets of Burr Tillstrom on Kukla, Fran and Ollie and Bil and Cora Baird. A major influence of his childhood was TV puppeteer Burr Tillstrom, of the show Kukla, Fran and Ollie. Henson blamed its failure on NBC's constant rescheduling. She was buried at Saint Bridge Cemetery, Cornwall, Connecticut. The Jim Henson Foundation is committed to supporting American puppet theater. For decades, Jim Henson invited generations of kids and adults alike into his whimsical television playgrounds. With wit that also appealed to adults, the Muppets helped youngsters learn about everything from numbers and the alphabet to birth and death. Soon after, superstar guest hosts came aboard, including Liza Minnelli, Elton John, Vincent Price and Steve Martin. [5] The popularity of his work on Sam and Friends in the late 1950s led to a series of guest appearances on network talk and variety shows. Rowlf was brought to life with the assistance of puppet builder Don Sahlin and puppeteer Frank Oz. Henson's characters are currently performed by the following puppeteers: Matt Vogel (Kermit), Peter Linz (Ernie, Link Hogthrob), Eric Jacobson (Guy Smiley, The Newsman), Dave Goelz (Waldorf) and Bill Barretta (Rowlf the Dog, The Swedish Chef, Dr. The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell, Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in Children's Programming, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series, Grammy Award for Best Children's Music Album, The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late), Britten: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Dr. Seuss: How The Grinch Stole Christmas, The Little Mermaid: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack, Beauty and the Beast: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World, TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming, War in the Gulf: Questions & Answers with Peter Jennings, John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together, Lady Gaga and the Muppets Holiday Spectacular, The Muppets PresentGreat Moments in American History, Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration, The Monster at the End of This Book: Starring Lovable, Furry Old Grover, Children and Television: Lessons from Sesame Street, Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street, Sunny Days: The Children's Television Revolution That Changed America, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jim_Henson&oldid=1148411490, International Emmy Founders Award winners, University of Maryland, College Park alumni, Articles with dead external links from December 2021, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2020, Articles needing additional references from September 2020, All articles needing additional references, TCMDb name template using non-numeric ID from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Kermit the Frog (live-action puppet only), Henson is honored both as himself and as Kermit the Frog on the, Henson received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Fordham University, Rose Hill Campus, Bronx, New York (June 1982), Henson received the Golden Plate Award of the. Who Are Oscar Best Director Winners the Daniels? Lisa Henson will serve as producer. [35] The film was less financially successful in theaters, but later claimed an enormous following and revenue when it was introduced on VHS for home entertainment. Henson's Muppets initially appeared separately from the realistic segments on the Street, but the show was revamped to integrate the two segments, placing much greater emphasis on Henson's work. When he died in New York City on April 6, 1992, at the age of 72, Asimovs brother Stanley reported the cause of death as heart and kidney failure. His old friend and collaborator, Frank Oz, who delivered Henson's eulogy in London (per the Funeral Service Times), said: "Many people see Jim as an extraordinary creator. His live-action puppet series, ''Fraggle Rock,'' which was HBO's first original children's program, is now shown on cable television's TNT and is broadcast in more than 40 countries. He graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in home economics, after which he and Jane produced coffee advertisements and developed experimental films. Around the same time, Henson began experimenting with short films, including 1965's Academy Award-nominated Time Piece. Henson also wrote and directed the television film The Cube (1969), the surreal tale of a man unable to escape from an alternate reality. '"[4] Henson recognized Kermit as an alter ego, though he thought that Kermit was bolder than he; he once said of the character: "He can say things I hold back. Other major motion pictures followed, too, including 1982s The Dark Crystal, a groundbreaking film mixing puppetry and animatronics, and 1986s Labyrinth, which was produced by George Lucas and starred David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly. He appeared as a guest on many shows, including The Steve Allen Show, The Jack Paar Program, and The Ed Sullivan Show. [12] The characters were so successful in selling coffee that soon other companies began seeking them to promote their products, such as bakeries like Merita Breads, service station chains such as Standard Oil of Ohio and the downstream assets of Marathon Oil,[16] and beverage bottlers such as Faygo. Jim Henson died from Group A streptococcus bacteria, which occasionally is extremely virulent and can overcome the organs of the body and kill even a healthy man in his 50s. JIM HENSON, CREATOR OF MUPPETS, DIES AT 53 - The Washington Post. There was a musical number by the Muppet chickens singing "Baby Face." 1970). Henson died an untimely death from an aggressive form of pneumonia called Group A streptococcus in New York City on May 16, 1990. Bacterial pneumonia had completely destroyed his lungs within a matter of days. [4] His wife came to visit that night. X-ray images of his chest revealed multiple abscesses in both of his lungs as a result of a previous bacterial infection. The series included Hey, Cinderella!, The Frog Prince, and The Muppet Musicians of Bremen. Two hours later, Henson agreed to be taken by taxi to the emergency room at New YorkPresbyterian Hospital in Manhattan. WebWhen he died all too soon in 1990, he was indisputably one of the geniuses of puppetry. If he had come on Monday, we probably could have saved him. [22], Henson's talk show appearances culminated when he devised Rowlf, a piano-playing anthropomorphic dog that became the first Muppet to make regular appearances on The Jimmy Dean Show. [24][25] His nine-minute experimental film Time Piece was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 1966. Hospital spokesmen said he had died of streptococcus pneumonia, a bacterial infection, a day after he was admitted to the emergency room. At a young age, Henson was drawn to the arts.