John Henson Passes Away At 48

John Henson Passes Away At 48

John Henson, son of Jim Henson, passed away recently at the age of 48. Henson has performed occasionally as a puppeteer of the Muppets troupe of his father. He succumbed to a heart attack last Friday at his upstate New York home.

The sister of Henson, Cheryl, said her brother did not have a history of heart problems. Jim Henson passed away in 1990 at the age of 53 due to pneumonia.

There were instances when John Henson would take the role of Sweetums, the big, hairy Muppet who stood out among the puppets. He played the character during the Muppets live-action/movie attraction at Disney World. There were instances when he would run towards the audience to the delight of fans, according to Brian Jay Jones. Jones wrote a biography of Jim Henson that was released last year.

The younger Henson was also a part of the board of the Jim Henson Co. However, he did not have a significant role in the daily operations of the company that is based in Los Angeles. Jones said John was focused on his work as an artist. He refurbished an old schoolhouse and made all surfaces of the turn-of-the-century structure appealing and attractive.

He shared the detail-oriented mentality of his father, Jones added.

John leaves behind Gyongyi, his wife and daughters Katrina and Sydney. He is also survived by his brother, Brian, and sisters, Cheryl, Heather and Lisa.

The mother of John Henson, Jane Henson, also passed away last year at the age of 78 due to cancer.

Posted by Kade Quinn on Monday February 17 2014, 5:39 AM EST. Ref: LA Times. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Entertainment, Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0