If you were a child anytime between 1971 and today, chances are you grew up with Emilio Delgado in your life. The actor best known for his role as Luis on Sesame Street was a neighbor, parental figure, and friend to all of us.
While all of the Sesame Street humans are near and dear to us, Luis was special. He showed us an example of a Latin-American adult who owned a business, started a family, and stood as a pillar of his community. He led us through important stages of his life and shared them with television audiences. And along the way, he helped teach us about literacy and Spanish vocabulary and cooperation.
The loss of Emilio Delgado is hitting a few of us in the Muppet fan community pretty hard. Despite only knowing him at a distance, he felt like he was a part of our family. And in a way, he was.
I was lucky enough to cross paths with Emilio a few times, thanks to my work with ToughPigs. Each time we met, I got to see him transform. There would be a moment when Emilio would recognize that he’s not just talking to some guy on the street, but someone who grew up watching Luis on television. His eyes would light up, his back would straighten, and his voice would shift from conversational to presentational. Suddenly, Emilio would be nowhere to be seen, and you’d find yourself having a conversation with Luis. It was a subtle but important distinction, and it was a gift he could give to his fans – allowing us to revisit a childhood friend one more time.
There are many ways we could celebrate and remember Emilio’s life and career. For a historical context, I recommend reading Sesame Workshop’s public obituary. For us, we like to remember Emilio for what he gave us over the past 50+ years, including Luis’s first episode, his wedding to Maria, some classic Sesame songs, his silly appearances as a superhero and a pirate, and more brilliant moments that accompanied us as we grew up.
We hope you’ll enjoy this look back at Emilio Delgado’s Sesame Street career, and that you remember Emilio and Luis in your own way.
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by Joe Hennes – Joe@ToughPigs.com
