Sonia Manzano will no longer be a resident of Sesame Street. After 44 years of playing Maria on the beloved PBS series, she is retiring.
Manzano, 65, made the announcement Monday at the American Libraries Association Annual Conference in San Francisco.
As CNN notes, Manzano first appeared on the show in 1971 and became a series regular three years later. Since then, she has played a major role, running the Fix-It shop with Luis (Emilio Delgado).
In addition to acting, she was also a member of the show’s writing team, racking up 15 Emmy wins for her work, reports Variety. She was only nominated twice for her acting.
Manzano is also finishing up a memoir, Becoming Maria: Love and Chaos in the South Bronx. That book is coming out on Aug. 25.
Since the news broke, Manzano has been consoling fans on Twitter and assuring them that Sesame Street will not fall apart without her. She also told one fan that she is open to making a cameo for the show’s 50th anniversary.
screenshot from YouTube video