Remembering Jim Henson, 25 years after May 16, 1990

[Phillip]

It's hard to believe that it has been 25 years since Jim's passing on May 16, 1990. Like many of you, we'll never forget that day. Share your memories of May 16, 1990 and the impact Jim Henson continues to have on your life.

In honor of Jim, we're playing Jim Henson's most beloved songs on Muppet Central Radio on Live365 and Radio Terra. You can read our Jim Henson tributes for many stories from the days and weeks after Jim Henson's passing. Our "Remembering Jim Henson" menu designed by Jamie is also now on our home page.

Join us in celebrating his legacy that will live on for generations.

 

[beaker]

I remember how super into/excited I was with the Jim Henson Hour and the upcoming Muppet Vision 3d, and like that....Jim was gone. I remember being 12 crying my eyes out at hearing how the closest thing to any icon I had known had passed out. 25 years later it still stings. Yet I can't help but feel his gentle visionary creative spirit would be smiling at this unique period of time we're heading into. So here's to you Jim!

 

[theSHE124]

This is my story...Remembering Jim Henson, 24 years after May 16, 1990

Will always luv Jim!

 

[dwayne1115]

I just finished watching MTM and when they started singing "Saying Goodbye" I sang it as if I where singing it to Jim.

 

[JimAndFrank]

I wasn't even born til six years after Jim passed away, and yet it still hurts sometimes. It's amazing how simply reading about a person can lead to them becoming a huge part of your life. Jim's become a part of my family- a kind of shadow that lingers over my shoulder whom I can listen to when I'm troubled about one thing or another.

I remember saying in another thread that if the Muppets could survive in a world that's steadily getting more rough, then both Jim and I will be at peace. I still stand by that everyday.

My family and friends never understand why I willingly love such "childish" characters. The truth is that it was never the characters that pulled me in- it was Jim. It was Jim and the puppeteers, puppet builders, writers, composers and staff that he moulded into a family. It was that kindness and love which nobody ever had to tell me was there, and is still flowing through each and every Muppet fan to this day.

Jim feared that he wouldn't get to accomplish everything he wanted to and perhaps he didn't. I don't see it that way though. Just consider all of the people he has inspired to create new and marvellous wonders. Think about all the current stars of comedy who cut their teeth on his sense of humour. Just look at us! We wouldn't even acknowledge each other's existence without Jim and yet here we are, a family of Muppets in our own right! Jim never completely died on May 16th, 1990. All of us are filling in for him and will continue to do so for generations to come.

So will I cry for Jim today? Yes I will. Will I smile and laugh off the sadness? Of course I will.

Will I remember him? Always.

 

[antsamthompson9]

Look at this fantastic video Terry Angus @ButchCat himself posted:

 

[SpookyMania]

Jim Henson passed away a year before I was born. My parents raised me on all of his works--starting with Sesame Street, then Fraggle Rock, moving me up to the Muppet movies, then Dinosaurs, and more. The Christmas Toy was annual viewing in my house, as was our VHS tape of Christmas Eve on Sesame Street. We even had season passes to Sesame Place since it was just a half an hour away. And even though I knew Jim Henson was dead, that didn't matter to me. I felt happy to know that he had left behind all this incredible work.

Now that I'm older, I know more about the Muppets, how they work and the people that brought them to life. But I can't help but feel a little bit sadder about how early Jim Henson passed away. He's one of my heroes. A constant inspiration to me. I would've loved to have gotten the chance to shake his hand and just thank him. Thank him for the hours of entertainment; the laughs, the tears, the family moments. All of that stuff is important and I think Jim would be happy to know his characters are still doing that.

Even though Jim Henson is gone, his legacy will never disappear. There's a quote from the Twilight Zone episode "A Game of Pool" that goes, "As long as people talk about you, you don't really die. As long as people speak your name, you continue. The legend doesn't die because the man does." That's Jim. Immortal in his own right. And I can't thank him enough.

 

[dwayne1115]

Well I just finished watching Jim's memorial that was posted above. Sure I have seen clips of it here and there, but never have I sat through the whole thing. Afterwards I must say that I feel some what better about Jim's passing. Being able to hear Jim's family and friends share the good times, and the sad times some how helped me with grieve his death. The part that helped me the most where seeing and hearing Jim's wife, and kids speak about him in such loving way. If you have never watched it all the way through I highly recommend doing so. It will move you in a mighty way!

 

[AndyWan Kenobi]

I was 13 when Jim died, in eighth grade. I'll never forget hearing the news report on the radio in my dad's car. It hit me like a punch to the stomach. It was like a wizard had died. Like losing Gandalf, or Obi Wan. It still is, sometimes.

But today I was wearing an Ernie t-shirt, completely oblivious to it being the anniversary of Jim's death. I saw a woman in public wearing a Bert t-shirt. We high-fived. Millions of people happy is a great legacy.

Thank you always, Jim. The impact you've had in my life is immeasurable.

 

[D'Snowth]

At that age, I would have been too young to have a grasp or concept of anything, but I consider myself at least lucky enough to have been alive for nearly a year while Jim was still living. In fact, IIRC, I don't believe I was even aware he was dead until MTI came out: by that time, I was old enough to go see movies, and I had already been familiar with the earlier Muppet movies and such to understand who Jim was.