'Sesame Street' Star Emilio Delgado Dies at 81 | Mexican-American Actor's Cause of Death Revealed

Mexican-American actor Emilio Delgado, best known for his role as Luis Rodriguez on "Sesame Street," died Thursday at age 81.

Delgado's wife, Carole, told TMZ that the actor was surrounded by his family at his home in New York City when he passed away.

According to the outlet, the "Sesame Street" star was recently in hospice care. Delgado was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, in December 2020.

According to Entertainment Tonight, Delgado is survived by his wife, their daughter, Lauren, and his son from a previous marriage, Aram.

Some of the Mexican-American actor's colleagues and friends have publicly commented on his death.

In a statement posted to Twitter, Sesame Workshop said Delgado was a beloved member of the "Sesame Street" family for more than 50 years, and "his warmth and humor invited children to share a friendship that has echoed through generations."

"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," the statement added.

Robert Attermann, CEO of A3 Artists Agency, told Variety in a statement that the news of Delgado's passing saddened them.

Attermann described the Mexican-American actor as an "immense talent who brought so much joy and smiles to his fans."

"He will be missed by many and we know his legacy will live on. Our thoughts are with his loved ones, including his wife, Carole," Attermann noted.

Delgado's agent, Renee Glicker, told ET that the actor has a "youthful spirit and energy that will be greatly missed."

'Sesame Street' Star Emilio Delgado's Battle With Multiple Myeloma

Emilio Delgado's wife told TMZ that his husband was still a working actor despite being diagnosed with multiple myeloma.

Carole said Delgado played the lead in "Quixote Nuevo," a theater production that had a three-city run before things were shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She added that the Mexican-American actor also did some voiceover work last January.

According to Mayo Clinic, multiple myeloma is a type of cancer that affects a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell that produces antibodies that protect us from infection.

In myeloma, cancerous plasma cells accumulate in the bone marrow, crowding out normal and healthy blood cells. The cancer cells also produce abnormal proteins that can cause complications.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is still unclear what causes multiple myeloma. However, the agency noted that age is the most significant risk factor for developing myeloma.

The CDC said individuals younger than 45 years old rarely develop the disease. The CDC noted that myeloma sometimes does not have any symptoms. But when it is in an advanced stage, one can experience bone pain, especially in the spine and chest, fever for no known reason, frequent infections, constipation, and fatigue.

'Sesame Street' Star Emilio Delgado

Born in California and raised in Mexico, Emilio Delgado started his career in acting during the late 60s in summer stock theater. According to Variety, his first screen credit was in the Mexican soap opera "Canción de la Raza."

Delgado started his "Sesame Street" career during the 1970s when he was still a California Institute of the Arts student.

He was hired as a new cast member for the show's third season after interviewing Jon Stone, the head producer and writer of "Sesame Street," during the summer before his second year at the school.

Delgado's casting was reportedly part of an initiative to bring more Latino cast members onto the show to improve its Spanish-language segments.

Delgado played Luis Rodriguez, the owner of The Fix-It Shop on Sesame Street, from 1971 to 2015. He stopped appearing on the show after his contract was not renewed during a retooling in 2016.

According to ET, Emilio Delgado and his wife were also life-long activists and advocates, and they served as the Board of Directors in New York's Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Joshua Summers

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