Kermit Love

Kermit Ernest Hollingshead Love (August 7, 1916 – June 21, 2008) was an American puppeteer, costume designer, and actor in children's television and on Broadway. He was best known for his work on Muppets, mainly ones on Sesame Street.

Love started his work when he was young, at first doing work for Broadway, such as making marionettes. He worked with many great names at the time in Broadway and ballet.

In the 1960s, Don Sahlin told Love to meet with Jim Henson, which was where Love and Henson first met. Due to his work in theater, Love knew how to make full-body puppets well. Soon after, Love made Big Bird and other muppets. Even though his name was Kermit, he was not the namesake of Kermit the Frog, who Henson made before meeting Love.

Love still made some non-Sesame Street characters until the early 2000s. He died on June 21, 2008 of heart failure in Poughkeepsie, New York. He is outlived by his life partner, Christopher Lyall.

Other websites
 Rick Lyon's Photos from Love's 85th Birthday Party
 Dance Magazine Profile 
 Internet Broadway Database entry
 IMDB Entry
 Find-a-Grave
 LA Times Obit
 Chicago Tribune Obit 
 MSNBC Obit
 Yahoo Obit
 Metro.co.uk Obit
 Obituary  in The Times
 profile at Theater Development Fund

Category:1916 births
Category:2008 deaths
Category:American puppeteers
Category:LGBT people from New Jersey
Category:Deaths from congestive heart failure
Category:Gay men
Category:American costume designers
Category:People from New Jersey