Hello and thank you for being a DL contributor. We are changing the login scheme for contributors for simpler login and to better support using multiple devices. Please click here to update your account with a username and password.

Hello. Some features on this site require registration. Please click here to register for free.

Hello and thank you for registering. Please complete the process by verifying your email address. If you can't find the email you can resend it here.

Hello. Some features on this site require a subscription. Please click here to get full access and no ads for $1.99 or less per month.

Jim Henson

No one really talks about his death- What is the real story behind it?

by Anonymousreply 127March 20, 2018 1:44 PM

He got a strep infection. He didn't get treatment for it until it was too late. And he died at the young age of 53. Too sad.

by Anonymousreply 1July 22, 2010 1:46 AM

It's not easy being green.

by Anonymousreply 2July 22, 2010 2:21 AM

He was reared a Christian Scientist.

by Anonymousreply 3July 22, 2010 2:24 AM

He contracted that flesh-eating strep and it quickly crashed his bodily systems over a few days.

He was born in Mississippi and Kermit has roots in the bayous around the river in Greenville.

Stein-Mart originated in Greenville for those familiar with that chain.

by Anonymousreply 4July 22, 2010 2:32 AM

I thought that he live din the UK

by Anonymousreply 5July 22, 2010 2:39 AM

There were rumors that he was gay. There were also rumors that he had AIDS and that there was a cover up. Not uncommon at the time. I don't know if he did, but I wondered. People never died of AIDS, it was always "a long illness" or some other made up BS disease.

by Anonymousreply 6July 22, 2010 3:11 AM

Wasn't it one of those situations where he thought he had a cold or flu until he got very sick and had to go to the hospital, where upon there was little they could do for him to combat the strep.

by Anonymousreply 7July 22, 2010 3:15 AM

Kermit decided to show HIM what it feels like to have a fist up your ass. He developed an infection and died.

by Anonymousreply 8July 22, 2010 3:20 AM

I vote AIDS. How many 50 year olds with non-compromised immune systems die of strep?

by Anonymousreply 9July 22, 2010 3:22 AM

I had heard that he was raised Xian scientist, so although he no longer practiced, he gave in to the temptation to ignore his strep infection. Christian Scientists, I understand, don't believe their invisible friend would ever let them get sick, so long as they really, really believe in him.

by Anonymousreply 10July 22, 2010 4:31 AM

Henson was definitely straight. My partner worked for the Jim Henson company in the late '90s, and all the old timers talked about his womanizing ways. In fact, he had a longtime mistress with whom he had shacked up with at the end (despite staying married to his loony wife). He's even buried near the home he shared with his girlfriend.

by Anonymousreply 11July 22, 2010 4:36 AM

I remember they interviewed the family, and they lived and dressed like hippies. I remember they reported he left a 1 billion dollar fortune to his family.

Hey R11, so his wife was nuts?

by Anonymousreply 12July 22, 2010 4:54 AM

It was group A streptococcus. It can sometimes become very virulent. I remember a study about children in the countryside of either Brazil or Argentina dying after a short illness. Turned out to be group A strep ear infection. Normally, group A strep ear infections do not kill, but this had mutated into s superstrain.

After Henson, I found, through the NYC hospital grapevine, that it is unusual but not exactly rare for group A strep to inexplicably overwhelm the system. We had a young woman in her early 30s come into our recovery area on her way to die in the ICU. She had gone to her doctor the day before and was told she had an upper respiratory infection and to rest, drink fluids, etc. The next morning, she went to an ER where a CXR showed mild infiltrate. Again, she was told to rest, get plenty of fluids, etc. At 2 am, she was brought to our ER by a coworker she phoned. They admitted her to icu where she rapidly deteriorated. A pumonary guy brought her to the OR for a bronchoscopy and said her lungs were literally disintegrating. She died screw hours later. She'd been perfectly healthy, she had a low grade fever, her XRay had not been horrible and whammo -- she was taken down within hours.

I could go on and on. Like the guy who knocked his face while shaving and his entire face -- flesh, muscles, eyelids, nose, ears -- was eaten away by a strep which massively overwhelmed him. Or tje coworker of mine who died if an infection that is unknown to this day (they've kept blood and tissue samples for years for future testing). None of these people had AIDS.

Weird shit happens. We're not invincible. I am a firm believer in chaos theory and these cases are proof of it, as far as I am concerned. Group A strep does not usually cause death in healthy people.

by Anonymousreply 13July 22, 2010 5:04 AM

All I know is that the guy was a genius and that with his show he brought much happiness to my life

by Anonymousreply 14July 22, 2010 5:07 AM

R12, his wife definitely has a few screws loose. I met her at the premiere of the god-awful MUPPETS IN SPACE and at first wondered how a homeless woman had gotten into the theatre. R14, he may have brought happiness to millions, but he was a deeply troubled man. Also, he HATED kids, even his own, so it was ironic that he made a living schilling to munchkins.

by Anonymousreply 15July 22, 2010 5:14 AM

Wow [R15], knowing that makes me like him even more. What a fascinating guy

by Anonymousreply 16July 22, 2010 5:22 AM

Not true r-15, stop projecting.

by Anonymousreply 17July 22, 2010 5:44 AM

R17, I'm definitely not projecting. Sorry to ruin your image of the saintly Jim Henson.

by Anonymousreply 18July 22, 2010 5:57 AM

I've also always wondered about Henson, especially since within a few days of his death they read part of his will on the radio news and he'd written something like, "I do not fear death. In fact, I welcome it." %0D %0D Okay, I can understand not fearing death, but what healthy man in his early fifties with a large family, great career, and public acclaim talks about "welcoming" death?

by Anonymousreply 19July 22, 2010 6:10 AM

How do you know that he hated kids, r15?

by Anonymousreply 20July 22, 2010 6:12 AM

R15 Charles "Peanuts" Schultz was the same way. Beloved by millions, but despised by his family. A detached, distant, self-absorbed man...a complete fraud.

by Anonymousreply 21July 22, 2010 6:12 AM

I heard it from inside his own company, R20. Also his son Brian was (maybe still is ) a huge cokehead who did an awful job of running the company after Jim's death. Brian's sister Lisa is really the only one with a head for business and an interest in keeping her father's legacy alive.

by Anonymousreply 22July 22, 2010 6:23 AM

How does that make him a fraud, r21? Peanuts wasn't about how lovable Charles Schulz was. Some of the kids in that strip (which was brilliant, angst-ridden, and depressing for years and years) were terrible people.

He did end up selling out with that Snoopy junk, though.

by Anonymousreply 23July 22, 2010 6:38 AM

R15, I'd heard the same thing about Dr. Seuss. Whats with all these people who write/produce things for kids actually disliking kids?

by Anonymousreply 24July 22, 2010 7:57 AM

[quote]his son Brian was (maybe still is ) a huge cokehead who did an awful job of running the company after Jim's death.

Is that why we STILL can't get "The Muppet Movie" soundtrack on CD?

by Anonymousreply 25July 22, 2010 8:30 AM

Big Bird sings "It's Not that Easy Bein' Green" at the Jim Henson Memorial Service

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 26July 22, 2010 11:11 AM

r11, he wasn't buried near his girlfriend's home. Find A Grave says Jim's ashes were spread at the ranch he owned in New Mexico.

by Anonymousreply 27July 22, 2010 11:25 AM

How can we have a thread about hating one's own children and not hear from the authority Ms. Patsy Ramsey of Boulder, CO?

by Anonymousreply 28July 22, 2010 11:25 AM

I've also heard that he was very promiscuous.

A puppeteer friend of mine said he must have been sick for a while because his funeral seemed too elaborate and well-planned, with puppet routines, etc.

by Anonymousreply 29July 22, 2010 11:31 AM

I thought Oz was the promiscuous one.

Former staffers will never forgive the Hensons for selling off the studios in LA and London, and I don't blame them.

by Anonymousreply 30July 22, 2010 11:36 AM

[quote]How can we have a thread about hating one's own children and not hear from the authority Ms. Patsy Ramsey of Boulder, CO?%0D %0D Because MPR ceased to be funny (along with Helen Lawson) about five years ago.

by Anonymousreply 31July 22, 2010 12:54 PM

Fun fact - he died on the same day as Sammy Davis, Jr.

by Anonymousreply 32July 22, 2010 2:11 PM

R27, the mistress lived at the ranch. And still does!

by Anonymousreply 33July 22, 2010 3:18 PM

R6 = the "Every guy who dies suddenly was a secret AIDS infected gay man" troll.

by Anonymousreply 34July 22, 2010 3:26 PM

Henson's Halloween parties were infamous, with guests urged to dress as "sexy Muppet" characters.

Also, he invariably had frogs' legs on the menu for these soirees.

by Anonymousreply 35July 22, 2010 3:28 PM

If r15 is correct, it might be the most shocking thing I've ever read on DL.

by Anonymousreply 36July 22, 2010 3:34 PM

R13 has so many typos I fear for her life!

by Anonymousreply 37July 22, 2010 3:45 PM

R37 is such a drama queen, I fear for his life!

by Anonymousreply 38July 22, 2010 4:35 PM

I never heard that he "hated" kids. It would be very strange if he did; he was a genius at creating happiness for kids! The Muppets were (still are?) absolutely beloved. %0D %0D I saw some of his funeral on a news program. It was so moving it made me cry.

by Anonymousreply 39July 22, 2010 4:37 PM

My partner had an antique shop in Bedford, NY when he was a teenager (knew he was gay from the womb!). Jim Henson came in and bought some stuff that he wanted delivered. I think he lived in Pound Ridge at the time. When my partner delivered the stuff, Jim gave him a Miss Piggy Christmas tree ornament. (He had them made to give as gifts, they weren%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99t mass-produced.) We still put it on the tree every year. I told him he should have gotten him to sign it.%0D %0D Anyway, my partner said he was really shy, but a nice, down-to-Earth guy.%0D

by Anonymousreply 40July 22, 2010 5:55 PM

I swear, I can remember hearing that he had an affair with Daryl Hannah. Anyone else ever hear that? I think she was at his funeral.

by Anonymousreply 41July 22, 2010 9:35 PM

I can see Darryl Hannah being into puppets.

by Anonymousreply 42July 22, 2010 9:44 PM

[quote] [R13] has so many typos I fear for her life!

It's the iPhone. I hate the touch keypad and it hates me.

by Anonymousreply 43July 23, 2010 4:11 AM

[quote]the "Every guy who dies suddenly was a secret AIDS infected gay man" troll.%0D %0D Actually, I remember the rumors too. By the late 80s people were accustomed to hearing about male celebs suddenly growing sick and dying. It was only logical to suspect that Henson may have had AIDS.

by Anonymousreply 44July 23, 2010 4:53 AM

Didn't the family sold the company to the Disney Corporation?

by Anonymousreply 45July 23, 2010 12:30 PM

.

by Anonymousreply 46November 23, 2011 9:00 PM

He did NOT die of AIDS.

He did NOT "hate" children.

Supposedly he did have affairs while married.

He was a genius; made some weird little puppets (the original Kermit was made from an old green coat and a couple of ping pong balls for eyes) and turned them into unforgettable characters and eventually an entertainment empire.

I never heard anything truly bad about him. Eveyone who knew him described him as gentle, unassuming and likeable.

His death was a true tragedy; so unneccessary, so preventable. His was one of the very few celebrity deaths that made me feel actual sorrow and grief.

by Anonymousreply 47November 23, 2011 9:55 PM

Even better than the Big Bird song at the memorial.

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 48November 23, 2011 10:09 PM

He was murdered by the PTB so that they could destroy culture and foist things like the Gastineaus and the Kartrashians etc. upon the general public and we wouldn't be able to distinguish what actual middlebrow culture was any longer.

by Anonymousreply 49November 23, 2011 10:14 PM

I'll never forget when Helen Lawson hosted the Muppet Show. It was only broadcast once, and Henson personally burned the only copy of the film.

by Anonymousreply 50November 23, 2011 10:26 PM

I worked with someone who died of the same type of infection in the same ICU at New York Hospital within hours of Henson's death. His family mentioned the next day that Jim Henson had been there.

by Anonymousreply 51November 23, 2011 10:38 PM

[R29]'s pupeteer friend is an ass. It was a memorial service, not a funeral. There was lots of time to plan.

by Anonymousreply 52November 23, 2011 10:52 PM

[quote]She died screw hours later.

What's been on your mind?

by Anonymousreply 53November 23, 2011 11:05 PM

"muppets v1.0?? I wish they would have stopped at version no.0"

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 54November 23, 2011 11:40 PM

Uh

I do not know how to break this to some of you.

But.

A man who fucked around on his wife in addition to having had a mistress could very well have contracted the virus. Consider the era he did all this if anything.

I am not trying to blatantly state that he died of AIDS. But, you just never know.

by Anonymousreply 55November 23, 2011 11:53 PM

THe virulent infection caught everyone by surprise. He worked long hours and didn't take care of himself. People I know who worked closely with him loved him, said he was an incredibly charismatic and gentle person, the real deal.

by Anonymousreply 56November 24, 2011 12:01 AM

[quote]Didn't the family sold the company to the Disney Corporation?

The deal was ready to be signed the week Henson died, and then the family changed their mind, mostly because Eisner, CEO of Disney at the time, was such a prick to them. Although to be fair, Eisner was a weasel, but the Henson clan was by all reports pretty dysfunctional too. Frankly, I've always thought the stress of the sale was a major factor in Henson's death, and even if he hadn't gotten sick I put the odds of it selling at no more than 50-50.

Disney now owns "The Muppets" and has the rights to most (maybe all) of the characters, but it's still a real mess, and it took them years to get what they were literally hours away from owning 20 years ago. There are still grey areas concerning who owns the rights to what, and which characters are now 100% Disney and which the Hensons and/or Sesame Street and Public Television have a claim to. That's why you don't see them walking around Disneyland, at least not yet.

by Anonymousreply 57November 24, 2011 12:20 AM

He died of AIDS. Even the Muppet Babies know that.

by Anonymousreply 58November 24, 2011 12:26 AM

One of the reasons the AIDS rumor had so much traction was that Richard Hunt, a Muppeteer who performed Scooter, Statler, Beaker, and others, did die of AIDS. As I recall he died just a few months after Henson, so he was probably showing symptoms, and it was being discussed at the time of Henson's death.

by Anonymousreply 59November 24, 2011 12:26 AM

R42 made me laugh.

by Anonymousreply 60November 24, 2011 5:29 AM

Sold to Disney, then to a German company, back to the Hensons and then to Disney again.

by Anonymousreply 61November 24, 2011 5:45 AM

He died of liver disease.

Yeah, that's it.

Liver disease.

by Anonymousreply 62November 24, 2011 5:49 AM

R13 that's freaky, it reminds me of this guy my friend's aunt was involved with when she was younger who had flesh eating bacteria, he didn't die but he got very sick.

by Anonymousreply 63November 24, 2011 5:53 AM

R50 why did Henson burn the only copy of it? Surely another copy must exist out there somewhere.

by Anonymousreply 64November 24, 2011 5:54 AM

R64 don't even bother trying to tracjk it down. I remember watching it when I was a kid and it was filled with really lame jokes.

Like when Helen introduced herself to Fozzie Bear and said, "Well I got something FUZZIE too, if ya can BEAR it."

Then there was the obscenity charge when she took one look at Gonzo's nose and asked, "What? Ya fuck around corners with that thing?"

It was awful.

by Anonymousreply 65November 24, 2011 6:02 AM

I choose to believe the good stuff about Henson because it's too disappointing to think that he may have been a nasty human being. His creations were about the only happy part of my childhood and Kermit has special meaning to me. For Christmas 1977, my mother gave me a Kermit doll with velcro on the legs. It was the best Christmas present I'd ever received. I was 8. Two weeks later, my mother was dead and that Kermit doll was my only tangible connection to her. I slept with him for years. I still have that doll and he's in pretty good shape. All I have to do is look at it and I'm 8 years old again. I know, Mary!

I can't help it, though. The Muppets were a tremendous escape for me and my siblings when we were trying to cope with our mother's death.

by Anonymousreply 66November 24, 2011 6:34 AM

Oh R66...you may be a Mary, but you're sweet. Happy Thanksgiving sweetie.

by Anonymousreply 67November 24, 2011 6:41 AM

Henson's died at the height of the AIDS epidemic. He did not have AIDS. He was also raised a Christian Scientist. It's not shocking that he didn't go to the doctor.

by Anonymousreply 68November 24, 2011 7:36 AM

R40 is the "my partner owned an antique shop and Jim Henson once popped in to do a little shopping" troll

by Anonymousreply 69November 24, 2011 8:33 AM

I saw an interview with his daughter shortly after his death. When the interviewer asked her about his death & how he died, she quickly dismissed with: "no comment" and the reporter tried to continue and she said "we're not talking about this"

Perhaps it was too soon, but I was surprised she didn't say what others said, that he didn't attend to his health until too late.

BTW, didn't AA Milne also hate kids?

by Anonymousreply 70November 24, 2011 3:16 PM

R66

That was a very sweet story and in the true spirit of Thanksgiving I will not snark on you upon this day.

Have a nice Holiday.

by Anonymousreply 71November 24, 2011 3:47 PM

[quote]Didn't the family sold the company to the Disney Corporation?

Eventually.

First, they sold it to German media company EM.TV. About two years after EM.TV bought it, they sold the Sesame Street characters to the Children's Television Workshop (now called Sesame Workshop) and offered the rest of the company for sale to an investment group. The Henson children bought it back, but then sold the Muppets to Disney.

The Jim Henson Company is still owned by the family and continues to produce children's programming, and has been trying to get a sequel to The Dark Crystal made for years, but never seems to be able to manage it.

by Anonymousreply 72November 24, 2011 4:10 PM

"I saw an interview with his daughter shortly after his death. When the interviewer asked her about his death & how he died, she quickly dismissed with: "no comment" and the reporter tried to continue and she said "we're not talking about this"

I don't find anything sinister or evasive about that. She probably wanted privacy and didn't want to discuss something so painful as the totally unexpected death of her father. She probably thought it was none of the interviewer's damn business. She was probably still dealing with her grief and loss.

Enough about the AIDS rumors. He did not die of AIDS.

by Anonymousreply 73November 24, 2011 5:50 PM

Did anyone see Muppets Tonight when it aired in the late 90's?

by Anonymousreply 74November 25, 2011 8:40 PM

I remember when he died, the whole country looked at each other and said, "Pneumonia?"

It was such that the media came out to assure the public that It Wasn't That, since, in 1991, pneumonia usually Was That.

("That" being AIDS, for you juniorgays)

by Anonymousreply 75November 25, 2011 8:47 PM

He had Crohn's Disease.

by Anonymousreply 76November 25, 2011 8:53 PM

I seem to remember seeing pictures of him looking like he had a wasting syndrome associated with AIDS. Then his sudden death came and the natural assumption was made. It was very common to lie about the cause of death at that time. Shame ruled the day.

by Anonymousreply 77November 25, 2011 9:27 PM

[quote]why did Henson burn the only copy of it? Surely another copy must exist out there somewhere

He burned the master because he was trying to avert a scandal denying Helen was ever on the show. You see The Muppet's had a family audience and Helen was about to file a huge lawsuit. It seems Helen came down with a wicked case of Trichinosis from eating out, errr eating raw Pork in her dressing room.

by Anonymousreply 78November 25, 2011 11:39 PM

[quote]I seem to remember seeing pictures of him looking like he had a wasting syndrome associated with AIDS. Then his sudden death came and the natural assumption was made. It was very common to lie about the cause of death at that time. Shame ruled the day.

Sweetie, no matter what your issues are, Jim Henson did not die of AIDS. As for the "wasting syndrome" you seem to remember, Henson was always a skinny guy and looked like that from birth.

by Anonymousreply 79November 25, 2011 11:42 PM

Jim Henson did die of AIDS. My former housemate worked at the coroners office in NYC. Because he had died of an infectious disease an autopsy was required. The family was consulted and decided not to release the fact he died of AIDS. They said they were involved in AIDS related charities and could get money for AIDS research that way. I have no idea how he contracted the disease. She said when she saw his body he was extremely thin. She had a thing about seeing famous people that way.

by Anonymousreply 80February 7, 2012 6:13 AM

"Jim Henson did die of AIDS. My former housemate worked at the coroners office in NYC. Because he had died of an infectious disease an autopsy was required. The family was consulted and decided not to release the fact he died of AIDS. They said they were involved in AIDS related charities and could get money for AIDS research that way. I have no idea how he contracted the disease. She said when she saw his body he was extremely thin. She had a thing about seeing famous people that way."

Yes, I'm sure you had a "former housemate" who "worked at the coroners office in NYC." Why the hell should anybody believe anything YOU say, you cunt.

It's has been verified many, MANY times that Jim Henson died of organ failure resulting from streptococcus pyogenes, a severe Group A streptococcal infection. S. pyogenes is the bacterial species that causes strep throat, scarlet fever, and rheumatic fever. And had he he gone to a doctor sooner (probably due to his Christian Science beliefs he held off going to one) he in all likelihood he would not have died. He did NOT die of AIDS.

I have no idea why detestable assholes like R80 aka "JJ" like to tell lies about dead celebrities. Jim Henson is particularly undeserving of such stupidity; everyone who knew him said he was a gentle, kind, unassuming, NICE person.

by Anonymousreply 81February 7, 2012 3:13 PM

He was beaten to death by two hustlers wielding a cherished marble dildo, which had been given to him by Rudolph Valentino.

Oh, wait -- that was Ramon Navarro.

by Anonymousreply 82February 7, 2012 3:19 PM

He did not die of Aids.

They tracked his infection to the streams he had been fly fishing in. If my memory serves me right, it was in North Carolina.

by Anonymousreply 83February 7, 2012 3:25 PM

You asshole, r 81. He died of aids related illness. It is well known in the industry. Yes, he's was a wonderful , kind gentle man, but very deeply conflicted about his sexual orientation.

You need to shut the fuck up and get the hell off this forum. You don't know fucking shit about what you are protesting.

I PERSONALLY know some of those that he dated. Get the hell out of this forum. You are such a huge asshole. I have been in the industry for many, many years. His family did not want it known that he was homosexual. It was the classic open secret. Get the hell off this forum. You are lying scum.

by Anonymousreply 84February 7, 2012 3:33 PM

Wow r85 . You might want to dial it back a notch. I personally don't care if he fucked the family pig. Jim was an innovative artist. He created characters that were as real to me as any actor.

by Anonymousreply 86February 7, 2012 4:33 PM

I was actually with Jim Henson about a week before his death. We met at a Disney meeting in conjunction with the company buying the rights to the Muppets. He was in reasonable health but seemed a little worn down. I have always assumed that it was the beginning of the infection affecting him.

Great guy. Very generous, engaged and enthusiastic. I often wonder what he would have gone onto do if he had lived.

by Anonymousreply 87February 7, 2012 4:41 PM

His creations and those of his team made me smile and I was a real worrier of a kid most of the time. Looking back I am still amazed by the puppets and wonder how they did it all.

by Anonymousreply 88February 7, 2012 4:56 PM

R86, did you read R84? That's where the dialing-down needs to start.

by Anonymousreply 89February 7, 2012 5:51 PM

I watched "Emmett Otters Jug Band Christmas", over the holidays.

Jim was awesome.

by Anonymousreply 90February 7, 2012 6:32 PM

Arse pirate butt flu

by Anonymousreply 91February 7, 2012 6:43 PM

He didn't die of AIDS, He got a step a infection that turned into Toxic Shock Syndrome. It's as rare as 200 cases a year worldwide. It attacks all of your organs and shuts them down. I've heard that there is less than a 20% survival rate. I'm perfectly healthy and I contracted it last year. I lost both my hands and legs. I'm only 29 so that's a big part of why I'm still here.

by Anonymousreply 92March 23, 2012 11:31 PM

He dies of AIDS. And R92 is cuckoo for cocoa puffs.

by Anonymousreply 93March 23, 2012 11:41 PM

I just love how a bunch of (supposedly) gay men keep saying that he wasn't gay so he didn't die of AIDS. Because no straight guy who fooled around EVER got AIDS. Morons.

by Anonymousreply 94March 24, 2012 12:08 AM

pure genius

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 95March 24, 2012 12:34 AM

"He dies of AIDS."

He didn't "dies" of AIDS. His cause of death was established many years ago. Now please shut the fuck up, you stupid, psychotic douchebag.

by Anonymousreply 96March 24, 2012 1:53 AM

I saw Jim Henson at some Muppet event and he looked like a homeless person - funky clothes and all. I'm surprised he found anyone (male or female) to have sex with. But he seemed like a straight homeless guy to me.

by Anonymousreply 97March 24, 2012 2:06 AM

Let this close the discussion. Jim henson died of ARDS, acute respiratory distress syndrome. My son came down with ARDS in his thirties. Doctors said it was a respiratory infection that spirals out of control, they don't know why, there is little they can do to stop it, but if a person survives, it won't happen again. It's an anomaly. My son survived because he was young. The drs. said if he had been 15-20 years older, he would not have survived. Jim Henson was 15 yrs older. My son's drs. said Mr. Henson died of ARDS. He was a brilliant man who gave us the Muppets. Now, please, let this close the discussion. Signed: A thankful Mom

by Anonymousreply 98April 10, 2012 7:11 AM

I knew Jim , his work was magnificent, but I never saw him treat anyone with kindness or respect, unless it was the many women he had, or attempted to have sex with. It's odd that so many people who become a success, suffer narcissistic personality disorder,and we must suffer being close to them. As far as AIDS, to the best of my knowledge it was a strep infection, which,in my opinion, attacked a body, whose immune system was compromised by an on going cocaine habit, which I also think accounted for some bad decisions and judgement calls in his life. We should celebrate the man's work, that brought happiness to so many ,and try to forget the same man who made so many others miserable.

by Anonymousreply 99April 18, 2012 5:00 PM

Felt poisoning.

by Anonymousreply 100April 18, 2012 5:31 PM

Oh, please, get a clue. His daughter didn't want to discuss the nature of his death because it related to his religious beliefs. When he died and it came out that he did not seek medical help early enough because of being a Christian Scientist, there was a lot of criticism and derision that such a gifted man would die because of what most people view/viewed as a stupid religious practice.

by Anonymousreply 101April 18, 2012 5:44 PM

of aids

by Anonymousreply 102November 13, 2012 4:15 PM

I don't think he was a Christian Scientist -- I think he was like many guys of that generation who don't like going to the doctor.

So, he tried to tough it out.

by Anonymousreply 103November 13, 2012 5:05 PM

Jim Henson lived a secret life. A secret gay life of anonymous sex in porn arcades. He was taking HIV cocktails up until the time of his death. He had a very low T-cell count the month of his death.

by Anonymousreply 104November 30, 2012 3:02 PM

I never spent much time with Jim, who was nice, goofy, and distant, but his daughter, Lisa, is one of the most unpleasant human beings I've ever met in my life. Bitch would be much too kind a word.

by Anonymousreply 105November 30, 2012 3:05 PM

I read somewhere that "jim Henson admired beautiful woman" I find that hard to believe! his wife Jane was ugly. Doubt he liked her for her appearance.

by Anonymousreply 106March 22, 2014 4:34 PM

ARDS sounds like pneymocystis pneumonia.

by Anonymousreply 107March 22, 2014 4:48 PM

The writer Roald Dahl wrote a lot of very successful books for children. It was said he was good with children. He was very intelligent and could be witty and charming. But he was an absolute bastard; anti-semitic, nasty, cruel, a SOB of the first order. When his daughter found out he was having a torrid affair with a close family friend (he was married to Patricia Neal at the time, who was recovering from a series of strokes that almost killed her) he called her a "bitch" and told her to mind her own business. He disinherited all his children in favor of his second wife (she was his former mistress). When they protested, he told them that if they didn't trust his wife they could just "fuck off." Lucky for them, the seond wife didn't try to take everything for herself. Strange that someone who wrote books that were greatly entertaining and amusing for children could be so horrid.

by Anonymousreply 108March 22, 2014 5:53 PM

I've always thought it was AIDS complications too.

And it should be obvious, but apparently it still needs to be repeated that a man can have sex with women AND with men. He might like fucking women or he might be doing it out of social obligation, but either way, it has no bearing on whether he fucks men too.

by Anonymousreply 109March 22, 2014 6:17 PM

So, essentially, we really don't KNOW.

by Anonymousreply 110May 12, 2014 3:01 AM

Anyone watch Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge on Syfy? It's hosted and judged by Jim's son Brian who has a serious case of BDF.

by Anonymousreply 111May 12, 2014 4:14 AM

R109 in other words, he would fit right in here at DL.

by Anonymousreply 112May 12, 2014 10:58 AM

Did anyone ever write a bio on Henson?

by Anonymousreply 113May 12, 2014 6:46 PM

Funny story about his wife, who recently passed.

I used to usher at a college theatre. We were allowed to keep items left by audience members if they weren't claimed after 48 hours.

One day I found a watch with Kermit's hands as the clock hands. About a week later, a woman comes up to me in the theatre, says she's Jum Henson's wife. She lost her watch in the theatre a week before and she cherished it because it was a gift from her recently deceased husband. I was actually wearing that very watch at the same time!

I told her I'd go look for it in the back. I went to the office, took it off my wrist, went back outside and handed it to her. She was thrilled, of course.

by Anonymousreply 114May 13, 2014 4:44 PM

It sucks that Disney now owns The Muppets. They are vampiric.

by Anonymousreply 115February 21, 2015 4:18 AM

[quote]Charles "Peanuts" Schultz was the same way. Beloved by millions, but despised by his family. A detached, distant, self-absorbed man...a complete fraud.

How does that make him a fraud? Because he was an asshole? Peanuts is THE classic of its genre and beloved by millions. He would only be a fraud if it came out that his family really wrote the comic strip.

Some geniuses are troubled - stop the presses!

by Anonymousreply 116February 21, 2015 4:27 AM

My boss died of infected appendix, he was 40 years old. He could make himself keep going regardless of how sick he was, he could just ignore his body. So he took a few days off to move his family into a new house, everything was settled in, he told his wife that he was going to take a nap in his lounge chair and he fell asleep and died. His body was autopsied and his appendix had not burst.

The doctor said he just didn't get medical attention soon enough coupled with being underweight. I always thought about Jim Henson. Driven, underweight and the ability to ignore illness.

by Anonymousreply 117February 21, 2015 4:38 AM

[quote]Driven, underweight and the ability to ignore illness.

I saw a documentary about him and it said he felt all through his life that he was running out of time.

by Anonymousreply 118February 22, 2015 1:20 AM

Chilling, R118.

I love that scene, R95. The way that 'Harridan' just rips the Skeksis a new one for bulldozing her house is priceless. She is in no way intimidated by these foul slobs and just gives them what for. I've been watching a lot of Henson Productions recently and I believe the Skeksis had their design roots in those weirdass shorts Henson did for SNL. And, if you move beyond the Dark Crystal in the Henson timeline, you can see their design recur in the 'evil' characters of the series The Storyteller (a very beautiful, underrated production).

What was so fascinating about all the Creators at the Henson Co. is that they could build worlds of both vibrant, colorful innocence (Sesame St., and later Mopatop's Shop & Bear in the Big Blue House), but also dank, frightening realms and dingy settings of myth and reality (Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, The Storyteller, and Muppet Christmas Carol). They could capably make you believe in anything they put on screen, partly due to their incredible attention to detail, both artistically and performatively. And Jim & Family were at the helm of it.

by Anonymousreply 119March 11, 2016 3:39 PM

I've heard from friends of his that is was definitely AIDS, but they had to protect the "Muppet" franchise so they lied about it.

by Anonymousreply 120March 11, 2016 3:43 PM

I've always had a suspicion the confident, loud, womanising character Floyd Pepper (red guitarist of the Electric Mayhem) was the sort of character shy Jim fantasised himself as, but that's just a theory.

I preferred Zoot, the blue saxophonist burn-out. He seemed so chilled out and at peace with everything. He also 'dated' the Janice character before Floyd did, and he had some very funny, charming and dirty lines in the first season of The Muppet Show, back in the early days before they toned down the sex/violence humor. Like in this At The Dance skit:

ZOOT: Baby, do you believe in the Here-After? JANICE: Oh, yes! ZOOT: Well, then ya know what I'm 'here after'!

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 121March 11, 2016 3:49 PM

He died of pernicious anaemia brought about by a watermellon diet.

by Anonymousreply 122March 11, 2016 4:11 PM

R121 I had a crush on Zoot as a kid, too! He was the cool, mature member of the Muppets because he didn't keep flipping out like Kermit/Piggy/Animal or talking fast all the time like the other characters.

The saxophone is pretty sexy as instruments go, so maybe that had something to do with it also.

by Anonymousreply 123May 2, 2017 12:33 PM

Have also heard rumors that Walt Disney actually hated children!

There is often a dark side to genius!

by Anonymousreply 124March 17, 2018 8:48 PM

Love & Hate are twins, right?

by Anonymousreply 125March 17, 2018 10:01 PM

R125, Philos/Aphilos, or something like that?

by Anonymousreply 126March 20, 2018 1:44 PM
Loading
Need more help? Click Here.

Yes indeed, we too use "cookies." Take a look at our privacy/terms or if you just want to see the damn site without all this bureaucratic nonsense, click ACCEPT. Otherwise, you'll just have to find some other site for your pointless bitchery needs.

×

Become a contributor - post when you want with no ads!