Remembering Jim Henson, 28 years after May 16, 1990

[Phillip]

It's hard to believe it has been 28 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. Feel free to also post art, poems or favorite Henson video clips in honor of Jim.

Listen to the music of Jim Henson on Muppet Central Radio. 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.

 

[dwayne1115]

I'm about halfway through watching the Muppet Movie to remember Jim. Watching Kermit and Rowlf sing together still gives me goosebumps.

 

[BlakeConor14]

It's scary to think but his legacy still lives on in his characters and I hope it continues for another 28 years.


RIP JIM, JERRY, JERRY RICHARD, DON, JANE AND JOHN.

 

[Hayley B]

28 years now, since this wonderful man has left us. Love you, miss you, & thanks for all you have done on this earth.

 

[MikaelaMuppet]

Thank you Jim for creating some of my favorite characters such as Ernie and Kermit The Frog.

 

[LittleJerry92]

28 years ago, Jim was the creation of "wrong-sounding" muppets.

No, in seriousness, 28 and still miss him to this day.

 

[theSHE124]

See my story here.

Seems the attendance here is thinning out over time, but the legacy still lives on. I'm an aunt now, my older sister+husband have a newborn son. Got to see Baby Sullivan at one week old as my Dad rocked him, whistling Rainbow Connection...

 

[Froggy Fool]

I completely forgot about today being the day that Jim died, with school wrapping up and such. Usually I would watch a Muppet movie the night before, but...

Anyway, RIP Jim Henson. Even though I never got a chance to meet you (in fact when you were alive it would be more than a decade before I was born!), your work lives on in the hearts of everyone, Muppet fan or not.

 

[fuzzygobo]

I've made my peace with his passing a long time ago. I was 22 when he passed, I'm 50 now, so life still goes on. It has to.

The one thing people get hung up on are those who say they miss Jim, who were not even born when he died.

Think of it in these terms, like a family member or a pet you say goodbye to. In order to miss somebody, first there needs to be a presence in your life, then an absence. If those criteria aren't met, no miss.

In recent years you can miss Jane or Jerry Nelson, but if you're under 28, you can't miss Jim. You can still admire his legacy, you can say "I wish I was around when he was here", but that's about it.

I still admire his work and love for people. Always will. But with the passing years it gets harder to miss him. I'm not 22 anymore, I'm 50.

Same as you will find out. Those who lost a loved one in their childhood, with the passage of time the pain softens. You still may miss them, you don't forget them. But their absence becomes easier to deal with.

Time has a way of doing that. Jim knew that too. Time is bigger than all of us.

 

[Prof Bunsen]

Even though I wasn't born when he died (he died on May 16, 1990; I was born a year after), he's one of my heroes. I've greatly admired him since I first got into the Muppets and JHC in general via Sesame Street and Bear and the Big Blue House. I remember when I just started 8th Grade, I went to Mr. Movies, (back when rental stores still existed,) looking for movies to watch over the weekend. It turns out I found the original 1980s trilogy and decided to rent that. I enjoyed the era when he was still alive since. I already had both MTI and MFS, which are post-Jim, but I've only seen the Muppet Movie and Manhattan when I was just a baby so I didn't have any recollection of them then.

In retrospect, after watching a lot of the Muppet media over the years, including the recent documentaries about him on both American Experience and Muppet Guys Talking, and reading his bio, I have respected him a great deal. He was a busy man, almost not a lot of time at home, but he was a nice man with a lot of ingenuity. His crew loved working with him; Frank and Jerry Juhl were his best friends after all. He had a great agent, Bernie Brillstein, who represented several Hollywood actors. And he had a great executive and marketer, David Lazer, a former IBM manager who knew how to run a business. And last but not least, an excellent team of crazies that he couldn't have done the Muppet Show and beyond without him. And like I said before, they loved him. He had a great sense of humor, consistent work ethic, patient nature, and creative genius. And that is what I respect about Jim, the man and the myth.

I know this post sounds like a hagiography, but all of it's fact. Jim was an all-around good guy, widely respected by everyone who knew him, including his family. His children and his teammates carry on his legacy, and the spirit of Jim Henson will always remain alive.