Characters who have died

Death according to The Sesame Street Dictionary

"He died? And this is supposed to be a kids' movie!"

-- Rizzo the Rat, Muppet Treasure Island

A list of characters who have passed away. Due to the cartoon-like nature of the Muppets, this list does not include characters subjected to seemingly fatal accidents (such as explosions or being eaten) without other evidence of the character's actual death. This list does not include death of performers or retirement/absence of a character without any on-screen evidence or confirmation that the character actually died.

The Muppets

• Anthony - Squashed by Seymour in episode 202 of Muppets Tonight
• Ant - Got stepped on in episode 212 of The Muppet Show.
• Beaker - Becomes a ghost after crossing over to the other side in 2009's "Ghost Hunt" web video (Presumably non-canon)
• Billy Bones - Dies of a heart attack in Muppet Treasure Island after receiving the Black Spot.
• Mr. Bitterman - Dies just prior to It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie; his heir Rachel Bitterman is put in charge of Bitterman Banking.
• Dead Tom - Died long before he appeared in Muppet Treasure Island.
• Captain Flint - Specified as having "up and died" before he could go back for his treasure in Muppet Treasure Island.
• A frog in Kermit's Swamp Years - in a flashback, a young Dr. Hugo Krassman is about to dissect a frog before it tells him to "Stop!" Though not shown or directly stated, it's implied that Dr. Krassman did kill the frog in order to prove that he wasn't a "froggy pants."
• Four frogs exploded in The Muppet Show Comic Book: Meet the Muppets Issue #1: Kermit's Story by Roger Langridge, and are shown in heaven afterwards.
• The Gambler - Died in his sleep during "The Gambler" in episode 410 of The Muppet Show.
• Ghosts
• J. P. Grosse - In a deleted scene from It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, Kermit claims to have inherited the theater from J. P. Grosse after his death. At one point in the final release, Scooter, trying to impress two girls, states his uncle used to own the theater.
• Arsenio Hall - In "The Cameo Show", Bobo the Bear kills him with cold medicine, he's reanimated by Dr. Phil van Neuter, and presumably killed again by Gonzo's explosives.
• Humpty Dumpty - Commits suicide in the Fairyland PD sketch from Muppets Tonight episode 108. Bobo peppers his dead body as he and Clifford prepare to eat him off the sidewalk.
• Jacob and Robert Marley - "The Marleys were dead to begin with... as dead as a doornail."
• John Stone - Builder of the Muppet Theater (according to The Phantom of the Muppet Theater). His ghost returns in the book, coming to the aid of The Muppet Show cast.
• The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly - After consuming a fly, spider, cat, dog, goat, and horse in episode 205 of The Muppet Show, she died of course.
• Pa Otter - Died prior to the events of Emmet Otter's Jug-band Christmas. Had he lived, Pa would have hocked that tool chest and put a hole in the washtub.
• Chester Pugh - The late Chester Pugh turns up at a seance in Episode 312: James Coco.
• Skeletons
• Twinkles - Dipped in gold; whether or not this was the cause of death is unknown. However, Tex Richman does regret having done it.
• Uncle Deadly - Explains to Kermit that he was killed by the critics in episode 121 of The Muppet Show.
• Village Spiders - Crushed by a falling light fixture in episode 212 of Muppets Tonight
• Whatnot - In episode 101 of Muppets Tonight, Clifford tells Michelle Pfeiffer she's "drop-dead" gorgeous." A Whanot takes one look at her and drops to the floor.
• The Wicked Witch of the East - A double-wide trailer falls on her.
• The Wicked Witch of the West - She melts as a result of a bath prepared with non-bottled water.
• Thomas Blood and Godfrey the Unknown - deceased characters from Muppets Most Wanted.
• Animal - The legendary drummer of the rock band Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhemassed Away January 20th 2016, at the age of 66 due to threadbaring syndrome.

Near Death Experiences

• Ebenezer Scrooge - In a look at Christmas yet to come, Scrooge sees a world where he has died and no one cares.
• Gonzo - Claims that he died the last time he attempted his underwater heart transplant operation act in episode 511 of The Muppet Show; fakes his death in episode 301.
• Sam Arrow - presumed dead after disappearing in a lifeboat in Muppet Treasure Island. He returns later.
• Tiny Tim Cratchit - In a look at Christmas yet to come, Scrooge learns that Tiny Tim has passed away. However, after Scrooge changes his ways, Charles Dickens reveals that Tiny Tim does not die.
• Fritz, Scooter, Baskerville, Muppy, Lyle the Dog, Wolfhound, Lew Zealand, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Beaker, Penguins, Chickens, Swedish Chef, Liza O'Shaugnessy - Killed in the murder mystery play put on in episode 414 of The Muppet Show.

Sesame Street

• Mr. Hooper - Died as a result of the passing of actor Will Lee; explained to Big Bird in Sesame Street Episode 1839.
• Elmo's Uncle Jack: explained in the special When Families Grieve.

International Sesame Street

• Kami's Mother - Died of AIDS prior to the start of Takalani Sesame; the matter-of-fact treatment of her death reflects the differences between life in South Africa and the United States of America.
• Lal Mia - Struck and killed by a truck, while riding his bicycle, on Bangladesh's Sisimpur.

Fraggle Rock

• Mudwell the Mudbunny - Dies in the Fraggle Rock episode "Gone, But Not Forgotten," but was reborn as a Lizard.
• Sir Blunderbrain - Disappears forever in the Terrible Tunnel (Episode 108)

Dinosaurs

• Chief Elder - Dies of a heart attack in the Dinosaurs episode "And the Winner Is..." after christening Baby Sinclair "Augh Augh I'm Dying You Idiot."
• Dorothy, Rose, and Blanche - Died prior to the Dinosaurs episode "Driving Miss Ethyl."
• Grandpa Louie - Died prior to the start of Dinosaurs; visited by Ethyl Phillips in the afterlife.
• The Rosenfelds - Died prior to Dinosaurs episode "Hurling Day."
• Mother Wilkerson - Hurled over a cliff.
• The entire cast of Dinosaurs - In the final episode, "Changing Nature", Earl causes the extinction of the entire dinosaur species.

Near Death Experiences

• Ethyl Phillips - Dies in the Dinosaurs episode "The Last Temptation of Ethyl" and travels to the afterlife, only to learn it is not her time.

The Dark Crystal

• SkekSo - Dies of old age at the beginning of The Dark Crystal.
• UrSu - Dies at the same time as skekSo.
• SkekTek - Falls into the Crystal shaft.
• urTih - Vanishes at the same time as SkekTek.
• Kira's mother - Taken, along with many other Gelflings, by the Garthim and killed at the hands of the Skeksis.

Near Death Experiences

• Kira - Stabbed by a Skeskis, but revived by the UrSkek in the arms of Jen.

Other

• In The Christmas Toy, the universe establishes that a toy ceases to live when viewed upon by a human. Ditz becomes "frozen" and is given a funeral of sorts.
• Thunderdell - Killed by Jack the Giant Killer (Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story).