John Paul Henson (April 25, 1965 – February 14, 2014) was an American puppeteer, best known for his association with the Muppets.
Henson was the son of puppeteer Jim Henson (1936–1990), best known as the creator of the Muppets, and Jane Henson (1934–2013), who assisted in the launch of the Muppets. He had four siblings: Lisa (born 1960), Cheryl (born 1961), Brian (born 1963) and Heather (born 1970).
Henson performed Muppet character Sweetums starting in 1992 following the death of Richard Hunt (who had trained Henson to perform the character). The role has since been passed to different puppeteers, including David Rudman, Noel MacNeal, Rob Mills and Matt Vogel, who officially assumed the role in 2009.
In addition to his work with the Jim Henson Company, Henson produced independent films and worked as a production designer, animator, writer, wood worker, artist and builder. Zelda Catwoman of Queens, a short film that he cowrote and produced with longtime collaborator and childhood friend filmmaker Alex Halpern, won the student Academy Award in the experimental division, just prior to his father's death in 1990.
On February 14, 2014, at the age of 48, Henson died at his home in Saugerties, New York following a heart attack. His family conducted a private funeral. He was cremated and his ashes were given to his family.
