Terribly sad news. Jane Henson, c0-creator of the Muppets and widow of Jim Henson, has passed away. The Muppets were such an integral part of my whole childhood. I devoured The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock and the Muppet movies. I was 10 when Jim Henson died. I remember being home from school (for whatever reason) watching TV when they broke in to regular coverage to say Kermit had died. I don’t think any “celebrity death” has ever saddened me more or still saddens me to this day. He gave us so much and there was so much left. Jane was an integral part of his development of the Muppets and has been, along with the Henson children, fine guardians of his legacy. This hits me pretty hard. I’ll paste the obituary published on Time Magazine’s site below.
The Jim Henson Co. says Henson’s partner in marriage and Muppets has died. The company says Jane Henson died Tuesday at her Connecticut home following a battle with cancer. She was 78. She and Jim Henson met in a University of Maryland puppetry class in the mid-1950s, and they became creative and business partners in the development of the Muppets.
The Hensons married in 1959 and had five children: Lisa, Cheryl, Brian, John and Heather. The pair separated in 1986, and Jim Henson died in 1990. In 1992, Jane Henson created and funded The Jim Henson Legacy to preserve his artistic contributions.
Killing Time 