I didn’t know Jerry Juhl, but as a fan of The Muppet Show, I knew his work.

He was the second employee (after Jane Henson) hired to work on Sam and Friends, the birthplace of Kermit the Frog (Happy 50th!).

Juhl soon moved from puppeteer to writer and was the head writer for The Muppet Show from the second season onward, also writing for Fraggle Rock and the Jim Henson Hour.

For most of the folks in and around my generation, Juhl’s humor and heart are an integral part of our childhood and popular culture.

Other people with far better personal knowledge of the man do a far better job eulogizing his passing than I’m doing. Here are a few:

Mark Evanier: Jerry Juhl, R.I.P.
Neil Gaiman: Jerry Juhl…
Ken Plume: Juhl in the Crown
Jim Hill: Remembering Jerry Juhl

Wikipedia and IMDB entries for those that want more information.

All I can say is that anyone who ever laughed at one of Fozzie Bear’s terrible jokes or Statler and Waldorf’s back-handed compliments, or teared up over a Kermit the Frog song, owes Jerry Juhl a debt of gratitude.

You will be missed, Jerry.