Remembering Jim Henson, 24 years after May 16, 1990

[Phillip]

It's hard to believe that it has been 24 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.

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.

 

[theSHE124]

Okay, I know I posted last year, but this time, it's a different story that's new to me! Honest!

Anyway, back at March, Mom and I were driving home after watching MMW in theaters, & Mom can never stop laughing about Constantine! (Hey! If the movie makes Moms laugh, it'll make anyone laugh! ) Still, I just turned 23 years old that month, and she said that was the age she was when she 'had heard'...this was how it went down:

First thing's first, just to refresh memory, I wasn't even born yet!
Second: my only older sister was then an only child, standing in the crib & teething on the bars on the 1st Mother's Day when my Mom was, well, a mom!
And thirdly: for a family with the first child, my Mom was the average 'stay-at-home' mother & my Dad was (and still) works & goes to job like an average Dad.

So on that unsuspectingly fateful day, Mom spent the hours playing with baby Jackie, even videotaping her playing with a big beachball. It was pretty much like that until the evening when Dad came back from work. He already 'had heard' of the death & wasn't quite sure how to admit this, but Mom saw his uneasiness & wanted to know badly. So then he said, "Well, uh...he was guy who...played Miss Piggy."

Which made my Mom exclaim, "FRANK OZ DIED?!"

...Seriously! That is the truth! Dad knew that Jim Henson had died, but he's not really the person who keeps track of performers, much unlike my Mom. Don't worry, the confusion was quickly straightened out. My Mom can tell a bunch of stories of us sisters' early years as much as myself, but so far, this has to be the best story I've heard from her! You can just tell it has that flavorful mix of funny and poignant. I'm sure anyone at JHC, Sesame Workshop, Disney, or wherever else like IBEX would find my family's story hilarious! Wonder if my friend Jordan will mention this memorial at our studio meeting tonight...

Thank you, Jim!

 

[Pinkflower7783]

My avatar says it all. I don't really give two craps about celebrities but Jim's death feels like a close family member I still cry 24 years later...but also celebrate his incredible life.

 

[Twisted Tails]

My avatar says it all.

You know what? Jim Henson is my hero too. I don't care what others say, because I heart he Muppets, Fraggles, Sesame Street Muppets, and so on. I miss him so much and I never ever met him.

 

[cjd874]

Today is the 24th anniversary of Jim Henson's passing. Let's remember with one of his last performances as Kermit the Frog.

 

[SpookyMania]

Jim Henson died a year before I was born (I'm a May baby, my birthday was last week). My parents did a good job at introducing me to Jim Henson's body of work: I grew up on Sesame Street (we even had season passes to Sesame Place), we had all the Muppet movies on VHS, and my dad would always record The Muppet Show whenever it aired on Nickelodeon. I have fond memories of seeing Muppet Treasure Island in theaters with my dad. And all this time, I was perfectly aware of who Jim Henson was. He was the guy who came up with all this amazing stuff and all these unforgettable characters. To me, he was like the Walt Disney of puppetry and really sparked my love for the art form.
One day, I don't remember how it happened, but my mom told me that Jim Henson had died, and not too long ago. Even though I didn't know him, or even anything about him, it made me really sad. Jim Henson was dead? What did that mean for Sesame Street? For the Muppets? Would they just disappear? Would I never see a new Muppet movie?
Thankfully, we all know the answer to those questions. His works, his legacy, everything he accomplished with his short time on this earth, they live on. He'll continue to affect millions of people across the globe and I think he'd be pretty happy to know that.
RIP, Jim. Thanks for everything.

 

[FrackleFan2012]

Jim Henson's a big part of my life and childhood. Watching The Muppets and Sesame Street growing up made me smile. I still miss Jim Henson to this day.

 

[KremlingWhatnot]

I really wish I would've got the chance to meet Jim Henson, he sounds like a very nice guy to hang out with and to talk to, if only he would've went to the doctor, then maybe, just maybe, he would've last a little longer in age, I love his franchises and still love them to this day, hopefully Jim Henson is finding his Rainbow Connection in Heaven right now, with other angels helping with his puppeteering

 

[Pinkflower7783]

Jim Henson on Arsenio Hall:

 

[fuzzygobo]

I was 22 when he died, so it's a little hard to fathom more of my life was spent without him than with him. But I still feel lucky, getting to be part of the generation that saw Sesame Street first, The Muppet Show first, Emmet Otter first, Fraggle Rock first...
everything Jim rolled out when it was brand-spankin' new.

But for someone I never got to meet (although I've been very fortunate to have met so many people connected with him), his endless optimism, gentle spirit, and creative drive have certainly rubbed off on me.

Something really weird happened just last week. Someone in the supermarket came up to and shouted "YOU LOOK LIKE JESUS!" (I've run into a few people like this over the years). I tried to explain I'm really not, but he still wouldn't believe it. "I WANT YOU TO BRING MY PARENTS BACK!" Well, except for Lazarus the real Jesus didn't make it a practice of bringing back the dead.

But if it WAS in my powers to be able to bring one person back, Jim would be the one.