John Paul Henson (April 25, 1965 – February 14, 2014) was an American puppeteer, best known for his association with

The Muppets The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety- sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise that encompas ...

Early years

Henson was the son of puppeteer

Jim Henson James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, animator, cartoonist, actor, inventor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notice as the creator of The Muppets and '' Fraggle Rock'' (1983–1987) and ...

(1936–1990), best known as the creator of

, and Jane Henson (1934–2013), who assisted in the launch of the Muppets. He had four siblings: Lisa (born 1960),

Cheryl Cheryl is a female given name common in English speaking countries. There are several prevailing theories about its etymology. The most common is that it has Italo-Celtic roots and is an Anglicised version of either the French name Cherie (from L ...

(born 1961), Brian (born 1963), and Heather (born 1970).

Career

John performed Muppet character

Sweetums The Muppets are an ensemble group of comedic puppet characters originally created by Jim Henson. The Muppets have appeared in multiple television series, films, and other media appearances since the 1950s. The majority of the characters listed ...

starting in 1992 following the death of Richard Hunt (who trained John Henson in performing Sweetums). The role has since been passed to different puppeteers, including David Rudman,

Noel MacNeal Noel MacNeal (born September 15, 1961), sometimes credited as Noel McNeal or Edward Noel MacNeal, is an American puppeteer, actor, director and writer of children's television who has performed since the early 1980s. He was the voice and puppetee ...

, Rob Mills and Matt Vogel. Vogel officially assumed the role in 2009. In addition to his work with the Jim Henson Company, John produced independent films, worked as a production designer, animator, writer, wood worker, artist and builder. Zelda Catwoman of Queens, a short film he co-wrote and produced with long time collaborator and childhood friend filmmaker Alex Halpern, won the student Academy Award in the experimental division, just prior to his father's death in 1990.

Death

On February 14, 2014, at the age of 48, Henson died at his home in

Saugerties, New York Saugerties () is a town in the northeastern corner of Ulster County, New York. The population was 19,038 at the time of the 2020 Census, a decline from 19,482 in 2010. The village of the same name is located entirely within the town. Part o ...

from a heart attack. His family had a private funeral for him. He was cremated and his ashes were given to his family.

Filmography

Television

Film

Video games

Miscellaneous

References

External links

* 1965 births 2014 deaths Henson family (show business) Jim Henson Muppet performers People from Greenwich, Connecticut People from Saugerties, New York {{US-tv-bio-stub