How Did Show Explain Loss?

I hadn't seen Chico and the Man for years and years until the TV Land Marathon. I missed the episode where they explain what happened to Chico. Did they have him pass away on the show or did they say he left town or what? I watched about every episode with the little boy who came to live with Ed after Chico was gone, and I never heard them mention Chico or where he was.I know one of you guys must know! Thanks.

In a very emotional scene in part two, Ed says that Chico died. There was up to that point no other mention of what had happened beforehand, though I had read books for years saying that "it was established that Chico had left to go into business with his successful father." Since this very dramatic two parter was done midway in the season, I got the impression that the producers realized that they had cheated the audience by not directly dealing with Prinze's death in a forthright manner and decided they needed to rectify that (and no doubt they also probably felt that they could halt the downward slide in the ratings). I found it highly poignant.

Eric: Which episode was that? I thought I'd caught all of them during the marathon, particularly looking for some explanation of Chico's disappearance. Can you just run down the episode synopsis so I can look for it?

It was episodes 81-82 I think. I don't remember the titles, but the plot dealt with Raul finding out about Chico and seeing Ed fly off the handle when he takes out Chico's old things. Flashbacks to the pilot are shown during a troubled dream sequence of Ed's. At the end of Part One, Raul runs away back to Mexico, thinking Ed will be happier just to wait for Chico to come back, and in part two, which is filmed on location instead of taped with no laugh track has Ed trying to find Raul. He finally catches up with him in a church, and then reveals that Chico died.

I don't know of any sitcom before this that finally dealt with an actor's death by admitting his character died on the show.

[Lance Link]

The episode where ED tells Raul that Chico died was in part 2 of Raul Runs away in Season 4 . Raul asked how Chico died but then decided that it was best not to know.