Not bad for a man who started out as puppeteer on a Washington, D.C., kiddie show and who once said, ”Puppetry is a good way of hiding.”. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. He told Jane that he felt like he was dying. She said that he did not go to the hospital because he did not want to bother people. After his death, he was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991 and won the Disney Legends Award in 2011. Genetic testing is not available at this time, so there is no way to tell who may be susceptible to toxic shock syndrome. Check with a doctor who will examine you and run certain tests to find the cause of the infection. It stated that a lot of people remembered his cause of death being Cancer when it was actually pneumonia. Steve Whitmire, who had joined the Muppets cast in 1978, began performing Kermit the Frog six months after Henson's death. The puppets on “Sam and Friends” were forerunners of the Muppets and included a prototype of his most famous character, Kermit the Frog. Trending. Henson was infected with Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria for several days and the germ spread rapidly through his body, causing abscesses in his lungs. Jim Henson's Creature Shop also continues to create characters and special effects for both Henson-related and outside projects. After his death, he was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991 and won the Disney Legends Award in 2011. Organ failure resulting from streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. An appreciation in The New York Times led off with a simple ”What will happen now?” And Disney answered, Nothing, pulling the plug on the deal in a contention that Jim Henson was his company. Fifty years ago, Jim Henson created the Muppets, the world’s most famous puppets, for the children’s educational television show, Sesame Street. Mr. … but then my dad said he'd always remembered it being Pneumonia and so … Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. Nickname:Jim Full Name:James Maury Henson Profession:Puppeteer, Screenwriter, Voice acting, Film director, Inventor, TV Producer, Film Producer, Animator Nationality:American Date of Birth:September 24, 1936 Date of Death:May 16, 1990 Place of Death:New York Hospital, New York, United States Cause of Death:Pneumonia Me, a huge Jim Henson fan, decided to check it out. That's when it killed Jim Henson, just 53 years old, over a shockingly short period of infection. A person must receive antibiotics before the bacteria produce massive amounts of toxins that damage every organ in the body. EXCLUSIVE: Jim Henson’s iconic 80s anthology series The Storyteller is eyeing a comeback. ”He was one of the world’s great positive thinkers,” recalls his son today. Researchers have shown that it depends on your genes. My father had the ability to make the good guy the more interesting, crazy, eccentric character.”. Ironically, such self-effacement may have contributed to his death. H However, he confirmed on May 29 that Henson's cause of death was organ dysfunction resulting from streptococcal toxic shock syndrome caused by Streptococcus pyogenes. Jim Henson's Son John Dies at 48 John Henson, son of Muppets creator Jim Henson, passed away Friday. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. A Short, Creative Life Then the bacteria released toxins that destroyed his kidneys, liver and heart, sending his blood pressure to zero (“shock”) and killing him. They worked together until 1963 when she quit to become a full-time mother. Jim Henson (left of Kermit) with Michael Eisner (middle) and (from right to left) Mickey Mouse and Miss Piggy. New York, New York County (Manhattan), New York, USA. People born with certain types of HLA (human leukocyte antigen) genes are at high risk for toxic shock syndrome when they are infected with certain types of strep bacteria, while a different combination of HLA genes protects a person from ever developing toxic shock syndrome (Infect Immun, Jun 2000;68(6):3523–3534). Another germ called Staphylococcus aureus can cause toxic shock syndrome. In susceptible people, these same cytokines can also destroy every cell in the body, killing the heart, liver and kidneys. Following Henson's sudden death, Disney again insisted on procuring the Sesame Street (1969) characters as part of the deal, which forced the Henson family to cancel the sale. He developed new techniques for a wide variety of facial expressions and used rods instead of strings to move the arms. I was like "Weird, I remember it being cancer!" jim henson death cause: frank oz: jim henson death and kermit crying: darrell waltrip: jim henson death aids: bafta: jim henson death hiv: lexus is: 12 3 4 5. And Jim Henson’s vision plays on: His benevolent spirit hovers over the Henson Creature Shop creations for such movies as Adventures of Pinocchio; whenever Ernie warbles undying devotion to his rubber duckie on Sesame Street; and throughout last year’s Muppet movie escapade, Muppet Treasure Island, directed by Brian (another of his five children, Lisa, 36, is a former president of Columbia Pictures). Find out about Jim Henson's family tree, family history, ancestry, ancestors, genealogy, relationships and affairs! Doctor David Gelmont first announced that Henson had died from Streptococcus pneumoniae, an infection that causes bacterial pneumonia. The weekend before, Henson seemed to be fighting a cold. To his daughter Cheryl’s worried questions, he said, ”I’m just tired.” ”Then,” she later related, ”he said, ‘Hi ho, Kermit the Frog here.’ It was very unlike him.” By Monday he had canceled a recording session; late that night, he began to cough up blood. Pneumonia strikes about 2 million Americans each year, authorities say. Jim Henson Yet the master of Muppetry never seemed of this earth, either. Next 80 results. They married in 1959 and had five children. The Jim Henson Company and the Jim Henson Foundation continued after his death, producing new series and specials. His wife said that they separated because he worked all the time. Jim Henson's cause of death? Jim passed away on May 16, 1990 at the age of 53 in New York City, New York, USA. In many cases, the drugs don't work if they're administered too late, after the microbes have spread around the body. This is very rare (1000 of the estimated 50 million women in the US who use tampons) but at this time there are no tests to determine who may be susceptible. Fatal Infection These bacteria often live in the oxygen-sparse conditions of the vagina and do not cause any disease. The younger Henson, 48, fell victim to a … The New York Times reported in May 1990 that pneumonia was still the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. While he was an undergraduate at the University of Maryland, he created his first puppet show, “Sam and Friends,” for WRC-TV in Washington, DC. I just found this out like two mins ago but apparently Jim died of pneumonia. To Dr. Edward Kaplan, an authority on streptococcal infections, Jim Henson's death was tragic but not unfamiliar. Positive thinkers, ” recalls his son today younger Henson, just 53 old... Found this out like two mins ago but apparently Jim died of streptococcus pneumonia, a day after he inducted. 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