"Sesame Street" will have one less pedestrian as it opens its 46th season this fall. Sonia Manzano, Maria for the show's avid fans, is retiring after being part of the program for more than four decades.

Manzano announced her decision Monday during a speech at the annual conference of the American Library Association, Huffington Post reported.


The Puerto Rican actress started her "Sesame Street" stint in 1971 and became a regular on the series by 1974. The 65-year-old's character, Maria Rodriguez, is a shop owner who ran the Fix-It Shop on Sesame Street. She played the wife of Luis, portrayed by Emilio Delgado.

"Sesame Street" published an official biography on their website. A part of it read:

"Viewers have watched Maria grow up. She was a first crush, a best friend, and a baby sitter, telling stories and making everyone laugh. She dated and then married Luis, and they later had a daughter, Gabi, who is now grown up. Maria and Luis own and run the Fix-It Shop, specializing in toaster repair."

Manzano's life mixed with her onscreen persona. Once during Manzano's pregnancy, the show incorporated her daughter in by using a nursing scene to explain breastfeeding and bottle feeding, added the Huffington Post.

The official biography listed a number of Manzano's achievements, including winning fifteen Emmy awards as a writer on "Sesame Street." It also mentioned her contributions to the famed Selected Shorts series of NPR and her performance in Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues." In 2004, Manzano was inducted into the Bronx Hall of Fame.

Netizens reacted to her announcement by posting their farewells on social media site Twitter. Some used the hashtag #SoniaManzano.

Manzano responded to some of the tweets saying that they shouldn't be "bummed."

Manzano also penned two children's books - "No Dogs Allowed" and "A Box Full of Kittens" - and a young adult novel titled, "The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano." "Becoming Maria: Love and Chaos in the South Bronx," is Manzano's memoir set to be published in August this year.