Elmo is refusing to retire from Sesame Street, despite Kevin Clash leaving the show following high profile underage sex allegations. The loveable puppet sang his heart out during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City on Thursday (November 22, 2012), reports TMZ.com.

Along with the rest of the Sesame Street cast, Elmo sang 'What I Am', which includes particularly apt lyrics given the goings-on of the past couple of weeks. Elmo sang, "I'm gonna keep my head up high, keep on reaching high, Never gonna quit, Just keep getting stronger." In his solo part, Elmo belts out, "Nothing's gonna bring us down." Veteran Sesame Street star Kevin Clash resigned from the show this week following new allegations that he had sex with an underage youth. An earlier accuser made similar allegations before recanting them, however, he claimed to have been forced into signing a settlement deal worth over $100,000. A statement said, "Kevin Clash has helped us achieve that mission for 28 years, and none of us, especially Kevin, want anything to divert our attention from our focus on serving as a leading educational organization.This is a sad day for Sesame Street."

A lawsuit filed in federal court in New York accuses Clash of persuading Cecil Singleton to meet for sexual encounters when he was just 15-years-old.