This story from TMZ.COM

Kevin Clash, the voice of Elmo, has resigned from Sesame Street ... in the immediate wake of a new lawsuit accusing him of having sex with an underage boy -- the second such allegation in 2 weeks.

TMZ broke the story ... Clash is being sued by Cecil Singleton, who claims he met Kevin in a gay phone chat back in '93 ... when he was 15 and Clash was 32.

Sesame Workshop says, "Unfortunately, the controversy surrounding Kevin’s personal life has become a distraction that none of us want, and he has concluded that he can no longer be effective in his job and has resigned from Sesame Street. This is a sad day for Sesame Street."

Sesame Workshop had previously told TMZ, "Elmo is bigger than any one person."

Read more: http://www.tmz.com#ixzz2Cn9xReVn