Jane Henson, co-creator of The Muppets, dead at 78
Widow of Jim Henson had a passion for puppets
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One half of the duo who brought Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and Gonzo to life has died.
Jane Henson, the widow of Jim Henson, died at her Connecticut home Tuesday from cancer. She was 78.
The Jim Henson Legacy, a group that supports the puppeteer’s work, made the announcement on its Twitter feed Tuesday.
Everyone at The Jim Henson Legacy will dearly miss our founder Jane Nebel Henson (1934-2013). henson.com/jane.html
— Jim Henson Legacy (@JimHensonLegacy) April 2, 2013
Jane Henson met Jim while the two were undergraduate students in a puppetry class at the University of Maryland. When Jim was asked to appear on a television program in Washington, he asked Jane to work with him, beginning a long and successful collaboration between the pair.
Jane and Jim married and had five children. Though they separated in 1986, Jim and Jane continued to share a love of puppetry. Jim Henson died in 1990, when he was just 53, from a bacterial infection that caused organ failure.
Users posted tributes to Jane Henson on Twitter upon news of her death, with many sharing pictures of the smiling woman surrounded by her creations.