Jim Hill
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Jim's memorial service a week later at New York's Cathedral of St. John the Divine had a similar effect on the 5,000 fans who crammed into the church to pay tribute to the fallen Muppeteer. Just as Jim had requested, his memorial service was no solemn affair. Per Henson's request, no one was allowed to wear black. Mourners entering St. John were handed a program as well as a brightly colored hand-painted foam butterfly -- which they then asked to "flutter" at a crucial part in the program.

Following their dad's instructions to the letter, Henson's children kicked off this "Celebration of Life" with a Dixieland band which trumpeted "When the Saints Go Marching In" as it marched up the cathedral aisle. Cheryl then read excerpts from various letters that Jim had written her over the years, as she tried to get across their dad's life affirming views. "I believe in taking a positive attitude toward the world," Henson once wrote. "My hope still is to leave the world a little bit better than when I got here."

Other memorable moments include veteran Muppeteer Carroll Spinney -- dressed as Big Bird -- singing a quavering version of Kermit's signature song, "It's Not Easy Being Green." Or Brian Henson -- again reading from Jim's letters -- reminding all those in attendance that " It's a good life. Enjoy it. Please watch out for each other and love and forgive everybody."

But the moment that truly destroyed everyone who sat in St. Johns that day was when the surviving Muppeteers took to the stage. Each of them puppeteering their very favorite Muppet character, these grieving performers closed out the service by singing the song that -- over the years -- have become the unofficial Henson Company anthem, "Just One Person."

Originally a show tune that was written by composer Larry Grossman and lyricist Hal Hackady for the sequel to "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown," in the hands of the Muppets "Just One Person" packs a pretty powerful punch.

The lyrics read:

And maybe even you, Can believe in you... too!

At the end of this song, there wasn't a dry eye in the house at St. John's.

Back in Burbank, people were feeling pretty broken up as well. But not for the reasons that you might think.

At Disney Company headquarters, Jim Henson's untimely death was being viewed a real loss. In more ways than one. For Disney CEO Michael Eisner had believed in "Just One Person" himself. But that one person was Jim Henson.

Now that Henson was dead ... Well, without Jim's genius for creating new characters and/or finding new ways to tell old stories, was spending $150 million to acquire the Muppets such a bright idea after all? Sure, getting the rights to all these characters was great. But what good was having Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie & friends on hand without having Jim there to help guide them?

Would the deal fall through now that Henson was gone? In October 1990, Eisner said he was optimistic that the deal would go forward and that all the Disney/Henson projects that were currently in the works would be eventually completed.

Unfortunately, that optimism wouldn't last.

In our next installment ... As the Henson family grieves, Disney's lawyers get greedy. As November 1990 draws to a close, will Big Bird end up on Mickey's dinner plate by Thanksgiving Day?

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Related Links

• Part One of this article
• Part Two of this article
• Part Three of this article
• Part Four of this article
• Part Five of this article
• Part Six of this article
• Part Eight of this article

-- Jim Hill

-- Posted August 23, 2001