Acclaimed TV writer, director and star Stu Rosen, whose beloved children's show "Dusty's Treehouse" won eight Emmys, died Sunday at age 80.
Rosen passed away following a battle with cancer, his cousin Donna Siegel announced in a Facebook post.
"My heart is broken and I'm sure anyone who has ever met him feels the same way," Siegel wrote. "What a character he was."
Rosen rose to fame as the creator and star of "Dusty's Treehouse," which aired from 1970 to 1980. He played Dusty on the series, which involved him interacting with puppets to entertain kids and help them learn about life and the world.
In addition to its success at the Emmys, the long-running series earned a Peabody Award for outstanding educational programming for children in 1973.
Rosen also notably served as a voice director for the Jim Henson show "Fraggle Rock" and voiced a character on the series in 1987.
His other credits as a voice director include multiple 1980s series including "Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling," "MASK" and "RoboCop," as well as "My Little Pony: The Movie" in 1986.
Rosen was also a casting director for "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and was a voice director for the 1990s TV series "Phantom 2040."
