NEW YORK (AP) -- "Sesame Street" is about to be less A-OK. Sonia Manzano, who has played the role of Maria on the public TV kid show since 1971, is retiring.
Manzano, 65, broke the news earlier this week at the American Library Association Annual Conference. She said she wouldn't be part of the new "Sesame Street" season.
A beloved resident of Sesame Street since she was a teenager, the character Maria owned the neighborhood repair shop with husband Luis (Emilio Delgado, still on the show).
Manzano also served as a writer for the show, and has written children's books.
The New York-born actress began her show business career in the original cast of the musical "Godspell."
More recently, she has performed on the New York stage in "The Vagina Monologues" and "The Exonerated."
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