Peanuts creator Charles Schulz died of cancer on February 12, one day before the last strip he ever drew appeared in Sunday newspapers. He was 77.
Schulz's failing health forced him to retire Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus and the rest of the Peanuts gang from daily newspapers last month. The comic strip reached about 355 million readers daily in 75 countries. (Old strips still appear in some newspapers.)
The hardworking cartoonist created Peanuts in 1950 and drew every strip himself. He was honored by the huge popularity of his characters. "I'm pleased that I was able to live long enough to see it all," he said recently.