Emilio Delgado, the actor best known and beloved as Luis on “Sesame Street,” has died at 81-years-old. According to his wife, Carol, Delgado passed away on Thursday, surrounded by family at his home in New York City. He was recently in hospice care after being diagnosed with Multiple myeloma in December 2020. His wife also said that Delgado worked right up until the pandemic, with a lead role in “Quixote Nuevo,” a theater production that had a three-city run before lockdown. Delgado also did some voiceover work in January of this year.

The beloved Mexican-American actor was a forerunner in children’s television, playing Luis, the ‘Fix-It Shop’ owner, for a total of 40 years on “Sesame Street.” He took a brief break from the show in the late 80s but returned within a year. He also performed in live theater throughout his career, including some “Sesame Street” stage productions, and has appeared at various conventions over the years.

Delgado had cited the PBS show’s importance as a cultural touchstone in the way people of color were depicted on TV. He told the Houston Chronicle in 2020, “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 was how we were being shown in television and film. Here, on ‘Sesame Street,’ there were different people who spoke different languages and ate interesting foods, and they were all Americans.”

Beyond “Sesame Street,” Delgado appeared in such series as “Law & Order” and early in his career in the dramas “Lou Grant” and “Falcon Crest.” He also co-starred in the 1975 TV movie “I Will Fight No More Forever,” a true story about Nez Perce Native American leader Chief Joseph.

Born May 8, 1940, in Calexico, California, Delgado spent his early childhood living with his grandparents just across the border in Mexicali, Mexico. From his home, he could hear music into the night from a pair of beer gardens across the street. “I remember going to sleep to the sound of mariachis,” he said in a 2011 interview on the public television series, “Up Close with Patsy Smullin.”

He was enchanted and decided to become a performer, singing whenever possible and appearing in school plays with the full support of his proud parents. He moved to Los Angeles to become an actor and had little luck as a young man. He received a call out of the blue from the producers of “Sesame Street” in New York.

Delgado joined Sesame Street as Luis in 1971 and, except for his brief hiatus in 1988, remained on the show until 2016. He continued appearing with the show’s cast at public events and returned for Sesame Street’s 50th Anniversary Celebration in 2019. Fans and loved ones will remember Delgado not only as an actor but as a pioneer. He led the way for Mexican-American actors to fulfill the non-stereotypical roles. He also helped millions of children understand compassion, kindness, and friendship lessons. Delgado is survived by his wife, Carol, and two children.