Emilio Delgado, Luis On 'Sesame Street' For 45 Years, Dies

Delgado began on the show in 1971, and remained until 2016.

Emilio Delgado, the actor and singer who for 45 years was a warm and familiar presence in children's lives and a rare Latino face on American television as fix-it shop owner Luis on "Sesame Street," died Thursday.

His wife, Carol Delgado, told The Associated Press that Emilio Delgado died from the blood cancer multiple myeloma at their home in New York. He was 81.

As Luis, Delgado, a Mexican American, got to play an ordinary, non-stereotypical Latino character at a time when such depictions were few and far between on TV, for adults or children.