The end of an era has come—again—and fans are croaking their sadness over the news that the long-time voice talent behind Kermit the Frog is jumping off the (ahem) lily pad.
ABC News and The Hollywood Reporter report that Steve Whitmire has left his role of continuing the life of the iconic green Muppet he stepped into when Muppets creator Jim Henson died in 1990.
A Muppets Studio spokeswoman said the longtime Muppets performer Matt Vogel will be taking over the role. Vogel has voiced such characters as Big Bird, Robin the Frog and The Count. In addition to Kermit, Whitmire had voiced grumpy critic Statler, Rizzo the Rat, the always-startled Beaker and other characters for the Muppets.
Vogel took over voicing the Count when "Sesame Street" regular Jerry Nelson died in 2012 and soon took over many of Nelson's characters. A Muppets fan called Vogel "one of the best puppeteers in the world."
