Steve Whitmire on the subject of the night Jim Henson passed

“We were in the middle of a conversation, some kind of lighthearted conversation and all of a sudden there was this big code red and several doctors ran in. I don’t know it for a fact, but I’m sure that’s when he died. There was this long moment, and everyone was apprehensive, because I think we all knew that something was going on in his room. The doctor took Frank (Oz) aside, then he came over and he kind of broke up a little, but he said, “Well, at…” whatever time it was, which I don’t remember, “Jim passed away.” And that’s all he said. Everybody was just kind of devastated, and I was just kind of blank. A few tears were around, but everyone was just stunned. We just couldn’t believe this had happened. 

Here’s the funniest thing that may have ever happened in my life. We’re sitting there during that kind of a situation… Imagine this moment… It’s just the lowest point in all of our lives. We’ve just been told that Jim has died. It’s like somebody’s punched us in the chest. All of a sudden, from down the hall, we hear this sound… Like this high-pitched gibberish going, “HOIPOINTEEPOITOWWW JYABATAHBAW!” It was like the most inappropriate thing that could have happened. All of a sudden, these two big metal doors bang open, really loud, and these two nurses are just cracking up, wheeling this little Asian woman on a gurney, right through the middle of our group, and she smiled and goes, “YAWCATAWHOCHAYOOWW!” and she just laughs. My wife and I just looked at each other and smiled. Later, we talked about how Jim went through the room. It’s exactly what he would have done. It’s the most irreverent thing that could have happened at the worst possible moment that it could have happened. If it had been a movie, it would have been the biggest laugh, and that’s exactly what Jim would have done. Most people were just staring at her, but I couldn’t help it… I just started laughing.”

Read the entire interview here