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SAUGERTIES, N.Y. (CNN) — 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. Still, John Henson is listed prominently as one of five members of "the Henson family" on the company's website.
In fact, John Henson served as a shareholder and board member of The Jim Henson Company.
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, Jane Nabel Henson — who met Jim in a puppetry class at the University of Maryland in 1954 and married him five yeas later — died at the age of 79 after a "long battle with 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."
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