Jim Henson - While still a high school student in Maryland, James Murray Henson began creating puppets for a Saturday morning children's show. By the time of his death at 53, Henson had become the creative genius behind "The Muppets" and "Sesame Street," the master puppeteer responsible for "Fraggle Rock", The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth and Return of the Jedi and the Emmy award-winning founder of the acclaimed Jim Henson's Creature Shop. Incredibly prolific, it's anyone's guess how much more magic Henson could have created given more time. On May 16, 1990, Henson, who had been struggling with flu-like symptoms, died from organ failure as a result of Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome (STSS). Two funerals - in New York and London - were held. One employee later described how in the final minutes, muppet performers sang Henson's favorite song "Just One Person." "As each verse progressed," the employee recalled, "each Muppeteer joined in with their own Muppets until the stage was filled with all the Muppet performers and their beloved characters." Life Magazine later described the funeral as "an epic and almost unbearingly moving event." No less than Henson deserved.