John Henson John Paul Henson ( April 25 , 1965 - February 14 , 2014 ) was a performer , craftsman and co - owner of The Jim Henson Company . He was the fourth of Jim and Jane Henson ' s children . As a child , Henson appeared in his father ' s " Numerosity " films for " Sesame Street " as a boy showcasing " 10 bells " and in the film " Memories " for Bufferin as the narrator ' s son . Henson told biographer Brian Jay Jones that he was " a strange kid " with " an endless energy . " According to Henson , " if you look at the old home movies , everyone ' s around and ever once in a while you ' d see this little blond blur just careen through the frame ; that was me . I was just always going ― and the faster the better . " In an October 1987 interview with the " Washington Post " , Jim Henson spoke of his children and their work within the company ; of John , Henson said : " John , the second youngest , does some work with us in New York , performing some of the big characters we do , such as Sweetums . " By the late 1980s , Henson had taken over performing the body suit puppetry for Sweetums as Richard Hunt had become physically unable to do so . Hunt continued performing the dialogue for Sweetums until his passing in 1992 , after which Henson took over the character completely . Henson performed the part in " Muppet * Vision 3D " , with the dialogue looped by Hunt . In appearances after Hunt ' s death , such as the featured role in " Muppet Treasure Island " , Henson supplied both the puppetry and the voice . Henson was the primary performer of Sweetums for over a decade ; his last performance of the character was for " The Muppets ' Wizard of Oz " in 2005 . The character has since transitioned to other performers . In addition to his performances in television and film projects , Henson made live appearances as Sweetums for a number of events , including : a 1992 musical tribute to Jim Henson at the Lincoln Center in Armonk , New York ; throughout the MuppetFest weekend in 2001 ; and at the unveiling ceremony for Kermit the Frog ' s star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2002 . Henson also made appearances in the original Coca - Cola Polar Bear suit built by the Creature Shop for Coca - Cola public relations tours , which sometimes involved the bear sledding and skiing . After Jim Henson ' s death in 1990 , John , along with his brother and sisters , became a shareholder and active board member in The Jim Henson Company . He stayed involved in the company until his death in 2014 . Home design and sculptures . Cheryl Henson described her brother as an " artist who also loved working the land . " Biographer Brian Jay Jones described Henson , stating : " he was more of an artist . He renovated a turn - of - the - century schoolhouse , making every surface in the house interesting and beautiful . He had his dad ' s mentality in that he was so detail - oriented . " In the early 1980s , at the age of 16 , Henson bought an old school house in Saugerties , New York with his friend John Kahn . As an artist , fabricator , inventor and engineer , Kahn trained Henson in the arts of home building , furniture design , and sculpture . These disciplines would become Henson ' s primary trade and life ' s work . He became " a master in three - dimensional spatial design " and owned and developed many properties in Saugerties that reflected his unique design aesthetics . A 2014 statement from the Jim Henson Company described Henson ' s work in Saugerties , stating : " each of his buildings is an art project , an immersive experience balancing function with artistic expression . His exterior , and fine interior work , utilizing a wide range of materials ; from wood , to metal , to stone , created rooms of exquisite embracing craftsmanship . " In the early 1980s , Henson , along with John Kahn , helped design and renovate the Henson Townhouse in New York and Jim Henson ' s personal residence in upstate New York . Henson and Kahn designed and built " The Great Hot Air Balloon Circus " to decorate the spiral staircase of the townhouse where the company was headquartered at the time . The large hanging sculpture began in the lobby at the base of the spiral staircase and continued up to the fourth floor . It consists of wire , wood , and metal , as well as PVC figures of the Muppets . The sculpture later went on display between the first and second floors of the flagship World of Disney store on Fifth Avenue in New York City in 2004 . It remained there until the store closed ; its current whereabouts are unknown . Another of John Henson ' s sculptures welcomes visitors to the company ' s current New York workshop . Made of brass and other metallic , moving parts , the piece was based on one of his father ' s own sketches . Death and legacy . Henson met his wife , Gyongyi Katona , in 1996 ; the couple had two daughters Katrina ( born 1996 ) and Sydney ( born 2003 ) . The Henson family described John Henson as " a loving , playful , and dedicated father , and was very involved in all aspects of his girls ' lives . " On February 14 , 2014 , after building an igloo in the snow with his daughter , Henson suffered a sudden massive heart attack and died at his home in Saugerties ; he was 48 . The Jim Henson Company confirmed Henson ' s passing on the Facebook page the next day , stating : Biographer Brian Jay Jones said John Henson was " perhaps the most spiritual or ethereal of the Henson children . " Henson ' s family later commented that " John had the deepest soul of any man alive ; sensitive , artistic , and extremely compassionate , there was no limit to his love . " Arthur Novell , family friend and director of the Jim Henson Legacy , described Henson as , " a most remarkably kind and generous man who gave so much and asked for so little . He infused us with the light of his inquisitive mind , the spirit of his keen intellect and the genius of his talent to create . John will forever be remembered and cherished and talked about and somewhere in the Universe he will be rejoiced . " Director Kirk Thatcher wrote of Henson ' s passing , saying : " [ John ] had a huge heart , an easy laugh , a lopsided grin , twinkly impish eyes and a wild , creative streak that burned with a quiet intensity that shone through his life and art . He was a merry madman who played Sweetums in almost all of the Muppet projects I directed and he did it with the enthusiasm and silliness worthy of the big , sweet Ogre . I will miss him tremendously , but know that he ' s with his parents , Jim and Jane , heading off to make some crazy stuff with them in that infinite space that exists just beyond our physical senses , but we feel in our hearts . " Other colleagues of Henson ' s offered condolences to the Henson family on social media ; Stephanie D ' Abruzzo said she would " miss his smile , " Tyler Bunch stated Henson " had a kind and singular spirit , " and Paul Williams tweeted : " Prayers for the Henson family . And tears . Too sad . " The Walt Disney Company ' s Muppets Studios released the following statement on the Muppet ' s official Facebook page following Henson ' s death : Sesame Workshop released a statement on their official blog saying : " [ John Henson ] will be missed by his extended Sesame Workshop family . 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