'Sesame Street' director Emily Squires dies at age 71

The Associated Press, Friday, November 23, 2012, 1:10pm (PST)

NEW YORK (AP) -- A longtime "Sesame Street" director who also worked on soap operas including "The Guiding Light" and "As the World Turns" has died. Emily Squires was 71.

She died Wednesday at New York's Mount Sinai Hospital.

Squires' husband, Len Belzer, said Friday that the cause of death hasn't been determined.

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Squires directed the "Sesame Street" children's television series from 1982 to 2007 while also writing for the program.

She directed several "Sesame Street" TV specials as well as other children's programs such as the PBS show "Between the Lions," which promoted reading.

She also was a scriptwriter for soap operas including "The Guiding Light," ''Search for Tomorrow," ''The Secret Storm" and "As the World Turns."

Squires later directed documentaries including "Visions of Perfect Worlds," a conversation with the Dalai Lama.