Died On This Date

May 16
Henson, Jim
b. September 24, 1936 d. May 16, 1990
Entertainer. He is best known as the creator of the "Muppets". He began his career on a Washington, DC television station on a five-minute program called "Sam and Friends." The appearance of Muppets on the show "Sesame Street" (1969) catapulted Henson to nationwide popularity. His subsequent television shows ("The Muppet Show" in 1976, and "Fraggle Rock" in 1983) and films--The Muppet Movie (1979), The Great Muppet Caper (1981), The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)-gained international recognition. Cause of death: Pneumonia.

Davis Jr., Sammy
b. December 8, 1925 d. May 16, 1990
American Entertainment Icon. Acclaimed and beloved singer, actor, and dancer. A multi-talented performer, Sammy Davis, Jr. recorded forty albums and made countless film, television and appearances in Las Vegas in his life time. He was born in Dec. of 1925 in Harlem New York to New York vaudeville star Sammy Davis, Sr., and the Puerto Rican dancer.

Ness, Eliot
b. April 19, 1903 d. May 16, 1957
Law Officer. He was the Federal agent who brought gangster Al Capone to justice. Born in Chicago, Illinois, he was educated at the University of Chicago, graduating in 1925 with a degree in business and law. He initially worked as an investigator for the Retail Credit Company of Atlanta, Georgia, working in their field office in Chicago, where he conducted credit investigations on persons applying to banks for credit loans.