‘Sesame Street’ star Emilio Delgado has died, aged 81.
The actor who brought the “beloved” character Luis to life for more than five decades has passed away from blood cancer.
A spokesperson from the Sesame Workshop told the New York Post in a statement: “A beloved member of the Sesame family for over 50 years, his warmth and humor invited children to share a friendship that has echoed through generations.”
They praised him for being “at the forefront of representation” for Mexican-Americans.
They continued: “At the forefront of representation, Emilio proudly laid claim to the record for the longest-running role for a Mexican-American in a TV series.
“We are so grateful he shared his talents with us and with the world.”
According to his widow Carla - who spoke to TMZ - Emilio had been living with the disease for a few years and died with his family by his side but was still rehearsing for a theatre production of ‘Quixote Nuevo’.
Emilio took on the role of Luis in the PBS children’s show - that features the classic characters Elmo, Big Bird and the Cookie Monster - in 1971, the owner of the local Fix-It Shop and remained there until 2016.
In 2020, he enthused about the role and his pride in showing “Latinos in a good light.”
Emilio - who was born and raised in California - said: “I’d been trying all my professional life to be somewhere I can change that, whether I was talking about it or trying to get into a project that showed Latinos in a good light. That’s why ‘Sesame Street’ was such a good thing. For the first time on television, they showed Latinos as real human beings.”
“We weren’t dope addicts. We weren’t maids or prostitutes, which were the way we were being shown in television in film.”
“Here, on ‘Sesame Street,’ there were different people who spoke different languages and ate interesting foods, and they were all Americans.”
Along with Carla, he leaves behind his two adult children Aram Delgado and Lauren Delgado.
