# Kermit at Jim Henson's funeral **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 6, 2007, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kermit-at-jim-hensons-funeral/386939 "2007-01-06T16:07:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![badkittypriestess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8baadc/32.png) [@badkittypriestess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badkittypriestess)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kermit-at-jim-hensons-funeral/386939/21 "2007-01-07T05:47:28Z")
[QUOTE=Frylock] At Jim Henson’s funeral, a Kermit the Frog puppet was placed on the coffin. In his hands Kermit held up a sign which said, “I’ve lost my voice.” Just a mundane pointless and _incredibly sad just thinking about it_ thing I musted share. -FrL- [/QUOTE] I have sadly forgotten when he died…can you refresh my memory? Thanks ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kermit-at-jim-hensons-funeral/386939/22 "2007-01-07T06:06:19Z")
[QUOTE=badkittypriestess] I have sadly forgotten when he died…can you refresh my memory? Thanks [/QUOTE] May 16, 1990 > [@](#): > > Jim Henson died of pneumonia caused by severe Streptococcus “A” bacteria[1] at the age of 53 on May 16, 1990. ---
**Author:** ![badkittypriestess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8baadc/32.png) [@badkittypriestess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badkittypriestess)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kermit-at-jim-hensons-funeral/386939/23 "2007-01-07T06:16:50Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] May 16, 1990 [/QUOTE] Thanx a bunch, couldn’t remember and I’m to lazy to look it up. Blessed Be! ---
**Author:** ![lokij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@lokij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lokij)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kermit-at-jim-hensons-funeral/386939/24 "2007-01-07T06:31:39Z")
[QUOTE=Agonist] If music affects you, \*don’t \*click the link to this Jim Henson tribute song, [A Boy and His Frog](http://www.tomsmithonline.com/freestuff/oddio/BoyFrog.mp3) [/QUOTE] I was Just about to contribute that link. Love Tom Smith. ---
**Author:** ![badkittypriestess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8baadc/32.png) [@badkittypriestess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badkittypriestess)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kermit-at-jim-hensons-funeral/386939/25 "2007-01-07T06:47:15Z")
[QUOTE=lokij] I was Just about to contribute that link. Love Tom Smith. [/QUOTE] I just tried twice to listen to the song. Damn friggin’ internet won’t play it. I keep getting the “error on page” crap! ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kermit-at-jim-hensons-funeral/386939/26 "2007-01-07T07:39:20Z")
[QUOTE=Agonist] If music affects you, \*don’t \*click the link to this Jim Henson tribute song, [A Boy and His Frog](http://www.tomsmithonline.com/freestuff/oddio/BoyFrog.mp3) [/QUOTE] Damn. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![MerryMagdalen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@MerryMagdalen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MerryMagdalen)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kermit-at-jim-hensons-funeral/386939/27 "2007-01-07T10:08:19Z")
I am crazy for the Muppets (I’m still ticked at **Antigen** for thinking of Muppet Labs as a location before me) and I have the original Life magazine from when he died. Kermit, looking very sad on Jim Henson’s director’s chair. Big Bird sang “It’s Not Easy Being Green” at the funeral. There was a good description in the zine; if someone reminds me I’ll try to scan the image and upload it. (Tips?) ---
**Author:** ![Carl\_Corey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Carl\_Corey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carl_Corey)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kermit-at-jim-hensons-funeral/386939/28 "2007-01-07T13:46:45Z")
This thread is making me a little misty-eyed. Mel Blanc and Jim Henson were two of my favorite performers growing up. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kermit-at-jim-hensons-funeral/386939/29 "2007-01-07T14:51:32Z")
[QUOTE=if6was9] I saved [this cartoon](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/if6was9/SnoopyDad.jpg) after Charles Schulz died. [/QUOTE] Even though I thought I was prepared for the general gist of the cartoon based on the content of this thread, emotionally it still got in a sucker punch when I clicked that link. On a more upbeat note, sometime in the mid-90s I attended a casual dinner party where another guest brought one of Jim Henson’s sons as her date. In addition to being a very nice and pleasant guy in his own right, it was uncanny how much his voice sounded like his father’s. Obviously, he wasn’t speaking in a Kermit voice, but he had this same vocal quality that one heard in both Kermit’s voice and Jim Henson’s own speaking voice. It was like getting a little unexpected gift to hear this echo of Kermit the Frog. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kermit-at-jim-hensons-funeral/386939/30 "2007-01-07T15:39:21Z")
[QUOTE=delphica] Even though I thought I was prepared for the general gist of the cartoon based on the content of this thread, emotionally it still got in a sucker punch when I clicked that link. On a more upbeat note, sometime in the mid-90s I attended a casual dinner party where another guest brought one of Jim Henson’s sons as her date. In addition to being a very nice and pleasant guy in his own right, it was uncanny how much his voice sounded like his father’s. Obviously, he wasn’t speaking in a Kermit voice, but he had this same vocal quality that one heard in both Kermit’s voice and Jim Henson’s own speaking voice. It was like getting a little unexpected gift to hear this echo of Kermit the Frog. [/QUOTE] Back in Spring of 1990 I was [crewing on the Clearwater](http://www.clearwater.org/sail.html). The first mate was a wonderful singer that worked both on Broadway and at the Children’s Television Workshop (now Sesame Workshop). She did a lot of set design and knew Jim Henson a little. She mentioned he was the nicest person she ever met and that the CTW was the best job she ever had and she hoped she would work there forever. In interviews about him, I have yet to see a negative word spoken about him. I think if you looked in a dictionary of phrases for “Only The Good Die Young”, it would have a picture Jim Henson. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kermit-at-jim-hensons-funeral/386939/31 "2007-01-07T17:22:57Z")
[QUOTE=Struan] I absolutely love the [Jim Henson memorial statue](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Jim_Henson_statue.jpg) . [/QUOTE] I had no idea this existed. I was last on the University of Maryland campus in 1989 when we came to a mutual understanding about my future with that organization. I was aware that Henson graduated from UMD. ---
**Author:** ![Agonist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@Agonist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agonist)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kermit-at-jim-hensons-funeral/386939/32 "2007-01-07T19:23:00Z")
[QUOTE=badkittypriestess] I just tried twice to listen to the song. Damn friggin’ internet won’t play it. I keep getting the “error on page” crap! [/QUOTE] You could also try downloading the song from this page: [http://www.tomsmithonline.com/freestuff.htm](http://www.tomsmithonline.com/freestuff.htm) ---
**Author:** ![badkittypriestess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8baadc/32.png) [@badkittypriestess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badkittypriestess)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kermit-at-jim-hensons-funeral/386939/33 "2007-01-07T19:33:35Z")
[QUOTE=Agonist] You could also try downloading the song from this page: [http://www.tomsmithonline.com/freestuff.htm](http://www.tomsmithonline.com/freestuff.htm) [/QUOTE] Thanks! Mrbadkitty got it to work for me…sad, sad, song! ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kermit-at-jim-hensons-funeral/386939/34 "2007-01-08T19:19:26Z")
[QUOTE=Contrapuntal] He was known as _The Man of 1000 Voices_. Hyperbole, perhaps, but not by much. [/QUOTE] Mel Blanc [apparently](http://www.radiogoldindex.com/frame1.html) started out as a vocal sound effect man for Jack Benny’s radio program. According to the [IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000305/), his first appearance with WB was uncredited hiccup noises. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kermit-at-jim-hensons-funeral/386939/35 "2007-01-09T13:20:33Z")
[QUOTE=if6was9] I saved [this cartoon](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/if6was9/SnoopyDad.jpg) after Charles Schulz died. [/QUOTE] Oh, you want Schulz tributes? Here’s [a whole slew of them](http://www.cagle.com/news/peanuts/) from Daryl Cagle’s site. The retirement strips are mixed in with the memorial strips. Two of my favorites are on [this page.](http://www.cagle.com/news/peanuts/p23.asp) Also, the second one on [this page](http://www.cagle.com/news/peanuts/p34.asp) is, I think, the only one to make note of the fact that Charles Schulz and Tom Landry died within hours of each other. I remember that so clearly. Checked CNN, saw that Landry died, woke up Mr. Rilch. “That’s unfortunate…Don’t wake me up again.” Went back, saw CNN’s front page, thought, “That can’t be…My eye must have skipped from the headline about Landry dying to the headline about Schulz retiring…” :eek: ☹ “Sweetie? I know I said I wouldn’t wake you up again, but Charles Schulz died.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kermit-at-jim-hensons-funeral/386939.md?page=1)