"Peanuts" Animator Bill Melendez Dies

Santa Monica, CA (CNS) - The cartoon animator who gave life to Snoopy, Charlie Brown and other "Peanuts" characters in countless movies and TV specials, Bill Melendez, has died. He was 91.

According to his publicist, Melendez died of natural causes Tuesday at St. John's Health Center.

Melendez was the voice of Snoopy, and although Snoopy didn't speak intelligible words, he did howl, sigh and sob.

The animator began working for Walt Disney Studios in 1938, and when he met "Peanuts" creator Charles M. Schulz in 1959 the two became friends and Melendez became the only person Schulz allowed to animate his characters.

According to information released by The Associated Press, Melendez founded his own production company in 1964 with Lee Mendelson. The two went on to produce, direct or animate around 70 "Peanuts" TV specials, four movies and hundreds of commercials.

It brought back nice holiday memories when Celebrity News Service learned that the accomplished animator's first special for his own company was 1965's "A Charlie Brown Christmas." The show apparently worried CBS because for a cartoon it broke new ground. It didn't have a laugh track, used real children as voice actors, included a jazz score and featured a scene in which Linus recited lines from the New Testament. "A Charlie Brown Christmas" has of course gone on to become a favorite Christmastime special of boys and girls over the years. Melendez is survived by his wife, sons, six grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.