(AP) — Emilio Delgado, actor and singer who was a warm and familiar presence in children's lives for 45 years and as a rare Latino face on American television, fix-it shop owner Luis on "Sesame Street" Thursday passed away.
His wife, Carol Delgado, told The Associated Press that Emilio Delgado died of multiple myeloma, a blood cancer at their home in New York. He was 81 years old.
As Luis, Delgado, a Mexican American, got to play a generic, non-Orthodox Latino character at a time when such portrayals were few and far between on TV for adults or children.
"There really was no representation of real people," Delgado said in a 2021 interview on the YouTube series "Famous Cast Words." "Most of the roles I went out for were either bandits or gang members."
This changed with "Sesame Street", where a diverse cast interacted with a diverse group of children as well as Jim Henson's compositions Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Elmo and Grover.
Delgado joined the show starting with its third season in 1971. He said that the makers accepted his suggestion of sprinkling Spanish words in the script.
"The first time I saw Big Bird walk, my line was, 'Big Bird!'" Delgado said in a 2021 interview. "But I didn't say 'Big Bird,' I said, 'Pajaro!'"
After a quick meeting in which Delgado explained that "pajaro" meant "bird", the producers decided to keep it inside.
"I called him 'Pajaro' from then on whenever I saw him," Delgado said.
Delgado was born in 1940 in Calexico, California, near the U.S.-Mexico border, and raised a few miles away in Mexicali, Mexico.
From his home, he could listen to music at night from a couple of beer gardens across the street.
"I remember falling asleep to the sound of mariachis," he said in a 2011 interview on the public television series, "Up Close with Patsy Smullin."
He was enamored, and decided to become an artist, singing whenever possible and participating in school plays with the full support of his proud parents.
As a youth he moved to Los Angeles to become an actor, and had little luck. He got a call out of the blue from the producers of "Sesame Street" in New York.
After an interview with "Sesame Street" producer John Stone, in which he spoke to Delgado but did not ask for any auditions, he got the job.
"He didn't want the actor," Delgado said in a 2021 interview. "He wanted real people."
He would remain on the show for 45 years, an integral part of the childhoods of generations of children, and a rare character for Latino children who looked like him.
"Their warmth and humor invite the kids to share a friendship that has echoed through generations," Sesame Workshop said in a statement Thursday night. "At the forefront of representation, Emilio proudly claims the record for 'longest running role for a Mexican-American in a TV series.' We are so grateful that he shared his talent with us and with the world." "
"Sesame Street" also allowed him to sing regularly, and occasionally play his guitar.
Luis Rodriguez (adult characters had last names, although they were rarely used), would marry Maria Figueroa, the show's other lead Latina, played by Sonia Manzano, in a ceremony at the show in 1988. The story allowed the show to teach children. About love, marriage and the birth of a child.
"Luis and Maria were the first Latinos I saw on TV," Rosie Cordero, a television reporter for Deadline, said on Twitter. "They were a big part of my family. They paved the way."
He would leave the show when his contract was not renewed during a retooling in 2016.
Figueroa made frequent appearances in theater and other TV series during his time as Luis.
He played a recurring character in the newspaper drama "Lou Grant" from 1979 to 1982, and made several appearances on "Quincy ME," "Falcon Crest," and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent."
His death was first reported by TMZ.
Delgado was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in late 2020, but was still making appearances and giving interviews in 2021, until his health began to decline.