Did Frank Oz ever have a heart attack?

[Convincing John]

Hey folks,

A friend of mine and I were talking about Frank Oz today, and she said that Frank Oz has had three heart attacks, heart surgery and ulcers in the past.

Is this true? We were talking about how stress affects people, and with Frank's attitude towards work and perfectionism (especially during the Muppet Show days), it might have been possible he had some stress back then.

Frank Oz is one of my all time favorite artists of both Muppet and non-Muppet projects...but I had never read anything about him having a heart attack, let alone three.

Can anyone clear this up for me?

Convincing John

 

[Vic Romano]

I read this thread from convincing john when he first posted it and was curious and upset when no one had responded, so I decided to look up and see what I could find. Sadly (or maybe fortunately for Frank) I couldn't find anything, but I did stumble upon this vicious article from a Jay Pinkerton about Brian Henson regarding his takeover of the JHC after Jim died. Here's a brief section of it:

1990

Jim Henson - hero to small children, maker of fantasy, weaver of tales - is in the prime of his creative life. Both The Muppet Show and Sesame Street are long-running hits, and Henson's abundance of creative zest ensures the enterprise for years to come.

Jim watches over his puppet empire with a careful eye. He is meticulous and thorough, investing himself in every detail of his vast empire. His son Brian, eager to claim his father's throne despite a complete lack of basic creative and motor skills, waits patiently in the wings. Soon enough, he is rewarded. His father's love of mayonnaise finally catches up with him, prompting three heart attacks in a row. The elder Henson, midway through his second heart attack and about to start in on his third, is heard to point at his son and whisper: "Whatever you do, don't let this potatohead take over the company." Henson then quietly passes on. He is revived ten minutes later in a hospital and dies again, this time more violently.

"What were those last words of his?" a forgetful Frank Oz would ask.

"Uh," prompts Brian, "I think he said, 'Make sure Brian takes over for me.'"

"I thought he always called you potatohead."

"Uh," counters Brian, thinking quickly. "No."

Brian becomes president of Henson Enterprises soon after the funeral.

You can read the
complete article here., but please be aware that the full article does use rather blue and offensive language.

 

[Ronald McDonald]

Did he?

 

[Beauregard]

I read this thread from convincing john when he first posted it and was curious and upset when no one had responded, so I decided to look up and see what I could find. Sadly (or maybe fortunately for Frank) I couldn't find anything, but I did stumble upon this vicious article from a Jay Pinkerton about Brian Henson regarding his takeover of the JHC after Jim died. Here's a brief section of it:

You can read the
complete article here., but please be aware that the full article does use rather blue and offensive language.

That is complete Tosh. Jim didn't die of aheart attack. And he'd never say something like that.

 

[Vic Romano]

That is complete Tosh. Jim didn't die of aheart attack.

That was my first inkling that this might be false. I put it there to show how awful some people can think about the Muppets. Sick, isn't it?

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Vic, that article does seem like some artistic freedom was taken in creating a work of fiction.

I've never heard anything about Frank Oz having a heart-attack, ya'll.

 

[Vic Romano]

The only reason I believed it may have an ounce of truth to it is because he posted it under his "articles" section and not his "fiction" section, but good call, Kevin. What's up with this guy anyway?

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I dunno. I have people asking the same question about me (what's up with this guy). When I know the answer, I'll let you know!

 

[D'Snowth]

Hey Fozz! How'd you become a moderator all of the sudden? Congrats!

 

[Vic Romano]

It was announced here, and you can congratulate him (and GelflingWaldo) here!