<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"Jane Henson, the puppeteer who helped make The Muppets a household name alongside husband Jim Henson, has died, the Jim Henson Co. announced late Tuesday. Age 78, Jane passed away on Tuesday, April 2 following a &amp;quot;long battle with cancer,&amp;quot; the company explained.\r\nJane met Jim Henson in a University of Maryland puppetry class in the mid-1950s. Together, the twosome forged a creative and business partnership and developed the Muppets -- the beloved universe of puppets that includes Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Elmo and many other characters that appeared on Sesame Street, The Muppet Show and a slew of hit films.\r\n\r\nThe couple married in 1959 and had five children: LIsa, Cheryl, Brian, John and Heather. Jim and Jane separated in 1986, and Jim Henson died in 1990. She established the Jim Henson Legacy in 1992, the National Puppetry Conference at the Eugene O&amp;apos;Neill Theater Center and the Jane Henson Foundation for philanthropic work.\r\n&amp;quot;Jim wanted to leave the world a better place,&amp;quot; she often said during speaking engagements.  Adds Arthur Novell, Trustee of the Jim Henson Legacy: &amp;quot;most would agree they both did.&amp;quot; A memorial Mass is planned for next week.\r\n\r\nDonations in Jane&amp;apos;s memory can be sent to the Center for Puppetry Arts, the Jim Henson Foundation for the support of puppetry and the Puppetry Conference at the Eugene O&amp;apos;Neill Memorial Theater Center -- information at Henson.com"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/jane-henson-dead-muppets-co-creator-was-78-201334>