Jane Henson died after battling cancer.
London:
Jane Henson, who co-created popular USTV puppet program Muppets with her husband Jim, has diedfollowing a long bout with cancer. She was 78.
The Jim Henson company confirmed the news, stating thatHenson, who died at her home in Connecticut, was an "integralcreative and business partner" in the Muppets, reportedGuardian.
Jane, born in Queens, New York, in 1934, was an earlypuppeteer, as well as puppet designer for the Muppets, bestknown for characters Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, whostarred in numerous television programs and films.
She first met her future husband in puppetry class at theUniversity of Maryland in the mid-1950s and the two went on tocreate the five-minute television program Sam and Friends, aprecursor to the Muppets. The show served as a lead-in to TheHuntley-Brinkley Report news show and The Tonight ShowStarring Steve Allen.
Although Henson stopped working as a puppeteer to raiseher children in the early 1960s, she was still responsible forrecruiting top talent and performing occasionally on thechildren's show Sesame Street.
Henson legally separated from her husband four years priorto his death in 1990 of organ failure following a bacterialinfection at the age of 53. She later founded The Jim HensonLegacy to promote his work. Jane is survived by her fivechildren.
The Jim Henson company confirmed the news, stating thatHenson, who died at her home in Connecticut, was an "integralcreative and business partner" in the Muppets, reportedGuardian.
Jane, born in Queens, New York, in 1934, was an earlypuppeteer, as well as puppet designer for the Muppets, bestknown for characters Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, whostarred in numerous television programs and films.
She first met her future husband in puppetry class at theUniversity of Maryland in the mid-1950s and the two went on tocreate the five-minute television program Sam and Friends, aprecursor to the Muppets. The show served as a lead-in to TheHuntley-Brinkley Report news show and The Tonight ShowStarring Steve Allen.
Although Henson stopped working as a puppeteer to raiseher children in the early 1960s, she was still responsible forrecruiting top talent and performing occasionally on thechildren's show Sesame Street.
Henson legally separated from her husband four years priorto his death in 1990 of organ failure following a bacterialinfection at the age of 53. She later founded The Jim HensonLegacy to promote his work. Jane is survived by her fivechildren.
