Muppets Curse
Bad things happen to people who have been associated with the Muppets, except Frank Oz, who has found great success. This list includes those who have died under 65 or have just had bad luck. I am including Sesame Street ion this list.
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- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Jim Henson never thought that he would make a name of himself in puppetry; it was merely a way of getting himself on television. The vehicle that achieved it was Sam and Friends (1955), a late-night puppet show that was on after the 11:00 news in Washington DC. It proved to be very popular and inspired Jim to continue using puppets for his work. He made many commercials, developing the signature humor that Henson Productions is known for. A key reason for the success of his puppets is that Jim realized he didn't need to hide puppeteers behind a structure when they were in front of a camera. All he had to do was instruct the camera operators to focus on the puppets and keep the puppeteers out of the frame. This allowed the puppets to dominate the image and make them more lifelike. This work on puppets and television would lead to separate projects that had different goals. The first one was his work on the The Jimmy Dean Show (1963) with the character Rowlf the Dog, the oldest clearly identified character that Henson Productions still uses. This show provided an income that allowed Jim to work on a pet project. That project was Time Piece (1965), a surrealistic short about time which was nominated for best live-action short Oscar. Henson shot to prominence when he was approached to use his muppets for the revolutionary educational show Sesame Street (1969). The show was a smash hit and his characters have become staples on public television. Unforetunately, this also led to Henson being typecast as only an entertainer for children. He sought to disprove that by being part of the initial crew of Saturday Night Live (1975), but his style and that of the creative staff simply didn't jibe. It was this circumstance that encouraged him to develop a variety show format that had the kind of sophisticated humor that "Sesame Street (1969)" didn't work with. No American broadcaster was interested, but British producer Lew Grade was. This led to The Muppet Show (1976). It initially struggled both in the ratings and in the search for guest stars, but in the second season it became a smash hit and would eventually become the most widely watched series in television history. Hungry for a new challenge, Henson made The Muppet Movie (1979), defying the popular industry opinion that his characters would never work in a movie. The film became a hit and spawned a series of features which included the moody fantasy The Dark Crystal (1982), which was a drastic and bold departure from the amiable tone of his previous work. The most successful TV work in the 1980s was Fraggle Rock (1983), a fantasy series specifically designed to appeal to as many cultural groups as possible. During this time he also established the Creature Shop, a puppet studio that became renowned for being as brilliant with puppetry as ILM was at special effects. When he died all too soon in 1990, he was indisputably one of the geniuses of puppetry. More importantly, he was a man who achieved his phenomenal success while still retaining his social conscience and artistic integrity as his work in promoting environmentalism and his brilliant The Storyteller (1987) series respectively attest to.Jim Hensen died at 53.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Director
Richard Hunt did not have a face known to many -- his voice was known more than anything else. He was a major stronghold behind Jim Henson's "Muppets". 'Scooter', 'Janice', 'Sweetums' and a few others, were some of the "Muppets" that Richard was a performer and puppeteer of. He helped pave the way for Jim Henson and his company from the 1970s through the early 90s, until his surprising death in 1992 of AIDS.Died at 40- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Kevin Clash was born on 17 September 1960 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Sesame Street (1969), Muppet Treasure Island (1996) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990). He was previously married to Genia Loving.Quit after his affair with an underage kid was made public.- Music Artist
- Music Department
- Actor
His birth occurred on Friday, December 31st, 1943, as the son of an Air Force officer, Denver was constantly moved from state to state and country to country. It was in Tucson, Arizona, that his grandmother gave him his first acoustic guitar, a gift that would prove an icebreaker when meeting other students at the many new schools in which he was placed. After settling with his family in Fort Worth, Texas, Denver ran away to California for a short time. He returned to Texas and graduated from high school, but soon returned to California on a more permanent basis. He began performing at Leadbetter's night club in West Los Angeles but had a major career breakthrough when he was selected to replace the departing Chad Mitchell of The Chad Mitchell Trio. He remained with that organization until 1968 when he struck out on his own. From 1969 through 1975, Denver was the top-selling recording artist, appearing on both country and pop charts alike. His peak year was 1975, during which he was awarded the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year in addition to being selected as the American Guild of Variety Artists' Singing Star of the Year. During this period, he tried his hand at acting, appearing as Deputy Dewey Cobb in a 1973 episode of McCloud (1970) and hosting Day of the Bighorn (1974), an ecologically-minded television special. His most memorable role came in 1977 when he starred opposite George Burns in the hit comedy, Oh, God! (1977). Following this, his record sales began to decline, and he made fewer movies and television specials. He became something of a political activist, with his main focus being on environmental issues. He was killed on Sunday, October 12th, 1997, (505 years after Christopher Columbus' discovery of North America) when the plane he was piloting crashed into Monterey Bay. John Denver's lifetime: 19,616 days (2,802 weeks & 2 days).Was in a Muppets special, died at 53.- Writer
- Music Department
- Actor
Jeff Moss served as founding head-writer and composer/lyricist on CTW's (now Sesame Workshop's) Sesame Street (1969). He won 15 Emmys for his work, and wrote the songs for four Grammy Award-winning records. His music and lyrics for The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) earned him an Academy Award nomination. In addition, Moss helped create such beloved Muppet characters as Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, and Guy Smiley. Moss also wrote many of Sesame Street's hit songs, such as "I Love Trash," "Skin," and "I Don't Want to Live on the Moon." Johnny Cash, Julie Andrews, The Boston Pops, and many other top musical stars have performed Moss' songs. His first single, "Rubber Duckie," sold more than a million copies. Another Moss hit, "Nasty Dan," was recorded by Johnny Cash and Claude François in France, where it became No. 1 on the pop charts. Moss started composing as a youngster; he studied Western classical music at New York's Browning High School and went on to Princeton University, where he studied music and wrote books, music, and lyrics for the college's Triangle Club Productions. Moss penned more than a dozen best-selling books under the "Sesame Street" name and as an independent humorist as well.Died of cancer at 56- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Joe Raposo was born on 8 February 1937 in Fall River, Massachusetts, USA. He was a composer and actor, known for Sesame Street (1969), The Great Muppet Caper (1981) and The Incredible Hulk (2008). He was married to Pat Collins. He died on 5 February 1989 in Bronxville, New York, USA.Died at 51- Writer
- Additional Crew
- Actress
Judy Freudberg was born on 12 July 1949 in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. She was a writer and actress, known for Sesame Street (1969), An American Tail (1986) and The Land Before Time (1988). She died on 10 June 2012 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.Died at 62 of brain cancer- Additional Crew
- Visual Effects
- Art Department
Don Sahlin was born on 19 June 1928 in Stratford, Connecticut, USA. He is known for The Muppet Movie (1979), The Muppet Show (1976) and Sesame Street (1969). He died on 19 February 1978 in New York City, New York, USA.Died at 49- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Sam Pottle was born on 8 May 1934 in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. Sam was a composer, known for The Muppets (2011), Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) and The War of the Roses (1989). Sam died on 4 July 1978 in New York City, New York, USA.Died at 44- Actress
- Soundtrack
Alaina Reed-Hall was born on 10 November 1946 in Springfield, Ohio, USA. She was an actress, known for 227 (1985), Death Becomes Her (1992) and Cruel Intentions (1999). She was married to Tamim Amini, Kevin Peter Hall and Richard Hannum Cook. She died on 17 December 2009 in Santa Monica, California, USA.died at 63