Longtime 'Sesame Street' Director Emily Squires Dies

Longtime “Sesame Street” director Emily Squires has died at the age of 71.

Squires passed away at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, New York, according to the Boston Globe. Her husband, Len Belzer, told the Globe that a cause of death was still being investigated.

Squires, who also worked on soap operas including “The Guiding Light” and “As the World Turns” began working in public television in 1967 at the Public Broadcasting Library. Two years later, the network launched “Sesame Street,” though Squires did not begin writing and directing for the program until 1982. Squires continued writing and directing for the series until 2007.

In addition to her work on regular episodes of “Sesame Street,” Squires also directed several specials for the children’s television series, including “A Sesame Street Christmas Carol,” “Elmo’s Musical Adventure,” “Big Bird Gets Lost,” and “Elmo Saves Christmas.”

Later in her career, Squires turned to documentary production, directing a conversation with the Dalai Lama entitled “Visions of Perfect Worlds.”

Her work on “Sesame Street” and soap operas such as “Guiding Light” and “Search for Tomorrow” earned Squires numerous Emmy awards and nominations. Squires earned six Emmys alone for “Sesame Street.”

In addition, she was nominated for three Writers Guild of America awards for “Guiding Light” and “Search for Tomorrow.” She won one of her nominations in the Daytime Serials category in 1985. Squires was also nominated for fifteen Daytime Emmys throughout her career.