John Henson -- a son of the late , great children 's entertainment visionary Jim Henson -- died after a `` sudden , massive heart attack , '' his family 's company said . The Jim Henson Company announced the death of the 48-year-old son of its iconic founder in a Facebook post Saturday . He died Friday while at home with one of his two daughters , the post said . John Henson is also survived by his wife , Gyongyi , and his siblings Lisa , Cheryl , Brian and Heather . Two other members of his family had top jobs in their father 's namesake company , with Brian Henson as chairman and Lisa Henson as CEO . John Henson is listed prominently as one of five members of `` the Henson family '' on the company 's website . John Henson served as a shareholder and board member of The Jim Henson Company . According to imdb.com , John Henson was active in the family business in the 1980s , 1990s and 2000s , perhaps most notably for his portrayal of Sweetums , a large , gruff-looking , lovable character on `` The Muppets . '' His father , Jim , died suddenly in 1990 , after a celebrated career in which he launched shows like `` The Muppets , '' `` Fraggle Rock '' and created beloved characters from `` Sesame Street '' such as Big Bird , Elmo , the Cookie Monster and Oscar the Grouch . Last April , John 's mother , Jane Nabel Henson -- who met Jim in a puppetry class at the University of Maryland in 1954 and married him five years later -- died at the age of 79 after a `` long battle with cancer . '' Jane Henson dies of cancer . The Jim Henson Company itself remains busy with fantasy and sci-fi productions as well as children 's animated series such as `` Sid the Science Kid '' and `` Dinosaur Train . '' People we 've lost in 2014 .
John Henson dies at home at the age of 48 , the Jim Henson Company announces . He suffered a `` sudden , massive heart attack , '' according to the company . John was a shareholder , board member with the Jim Henson Company . His father helped develop `` The Muppets , '' `` Fraggle Rock '' and `` Sesame Street ''