'Sesame Street': After 44 Years, Sonia Manzano to Leave Show
Maria is leaving!
— -- "Sesame Street" is losing an iconic cast member after more than four decades.
Sonia Manzano is leaving the show after 44 years, "Sesame Street" confirmed to ABC News.
On the show, Manzano ran a Fix-It Shop with her on-screen husband, Emilio Delgado.
The two-time Emmy nominee and award-winning writer, 65, retweeted her fans' well wishes as she enters the next stage in her career.
She also wrote back thanks to her supporters, but "don't be bummed!"
Manzano joined "Sesame Street" in 1971 and was inducted into the Bronx Hall of Fame in 2005. According to her online bio, she won 15 Emmys for her writing on the show!
Manzano has a biography, "Becoming Maria," out later this summer.
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Sonia Manzano was on “Sesame Street” for 45 years. It was 44.