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Muppets People

This truly is sad news, may she rest in peace.

Muppets co-creator Jane Henson dies

The Muppets co-creator Jane Henson has died at the age of 78.

The ex-wife of late star Jim Henson passed away at her home in Greenwich, Conn., on Tuesday after a long battle with cancer.

Henson met her husband-to-be at a puppetry class at the University of Maryland in 1954 and they subsequently made Sam and Friends, a forerunner of the famous puppets, for a TV station in Washington, D.C.

The Muppets was created in 1955 and went on to spawn films, television series and music recordings — most recently, the 2011 musical comedy of the same name featuring Jason Segel and Amy Adams.

Henson married Jim in 1959, but they legally separated in 1986, four years before the writer/director died in 1990.

Following their split, Henson continued her work with the Jim Henson Co. and became the point of entry to the company for several top puppeteers.

In 1992, the puppeteer founded the Jim Henson Legacy to conserve the artistic contribution of her late ex-husband, and in 2001 she created the Jane Henson Foundation for philanthropic work.