He said he was "devastated to have failed in my duty to my hero" - a reference to late Muppets creator Jim Henson. Whitmire took over as Kermit's handler and voice actor after Henson died in 1990.

The creator and performer behind a ... Frank Oz — the voice of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, and other characters, including Star Wars’ Yoda — said Pepé was his favorite Muppet “because ...