It's been 30 years since Jim Henson's death: A livestream event Saturday will pay tribute to the puppeteering genius

Los Angeles Magazine

On May 4, 1990, Henson appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show with Kermit the Frog. Two weeks later, on May 16, 1990, Henson died at age 53 in New York City from a bacterial infection. To pay tribute to the mastermind behind The Muppets and the Sesame Street puppets, Henson's frequent collaborator Frank Oz and several of his colleagues will pay a virtual tribute to the TV icon with a free livestream event on Saturday. Although the event is free, Oz and his wife Victoria Labalme are raising money for front-line, non-medical workers through at Elmhurst Hospital Center Auxiliary in New York City who've been hit hard by the coronavirus. “The date seemed like a wonderful point to tie things to, and a way to honor Jim,” says Labalme, adding: “This was an opportunity to reach as many people as possible and lift their sprits, so we wanted it to have no barrier to entry.”