did not return for The Muppet Christmas Carol, which is dedicated to his memory as well as that of Jim Henson. Hunt died in January 1992, ahead of the film's release that December. Mark Hamill told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel during a chat in November 2003 that he became friends with Hunt during his Muppet Show appearance, and that "[Hunt] became one of the best friends my family has ever had." Death and legacy On January 7, 1992, Hunt died of HIV/AIDS related complications at Cabrini Hospice in Manhattan, aged 40. He was cremated, and some of his ashes were sprinkled over the flower beds at the Hunt Family home in Closter, New Jersey. The Muppet Christmas Carol was dedicated to his memory. Following Hunt's death, the roles of Scooter and Janice were reassigned to David Rudman in 2008. The roles of Beaker and Statler, likewise, were reassigned to Steve Whitmire and Jerry Nelson, respectively, with Whitmire performing Statler fulltime later in 2002. As of 2017, Beaker is now performed by Rudman, and Statler by Peter Linz. John Henson was cast as Sweetums shortly prior to Hunt's death, having initially been trained by Hunt for physical performances in the attraction Muppet*Vision 3D, before Matt Vogel was cast in the role in 2009. On Sesame Street, Hunt's roles of Sully, Sonny Friendly, and the right head of the Two-Headed Monster were also reassigned to Rudman until the former two were eventually retired, while the role of Gladys the Cow is now performed by Jennifer Barnhart. The role of Don Music has been performed by Ryan Dillon since 2019. Filmography References External links Muppet Central's Tribute to Richard Hunt 1951 births 1992 deaths 20th-century American male actors AIDS-related deaths in New York (state) American male film actors American television directors American male voice actors American puppeteers Fraggle Rock performers American gay actors LGBT people from New York (state) LGBT puppeteers LGBT television directors LGBT film directors Muppet performers People from Closter, New Jersey Entertainers from the Bronx Sesame Street Muppeteers Primetime Emmy Award winners Film directors from New Jersey Film directors from New York (state) 20th-century American LGBT people