“I’m Done.” The Phone Call That Ended Charles Schulz ”Peanuts” in One Night

Charles Schulz was more than just a cartoonist—he was a cultural icon whose work shaped generations.

For half a century, his Peanuts comic strip brought joy, laughter, and subtle wisdom to millions of readers worldwide.

But behind the scenes, Schulz’s life was filled with struggles, heartbreak, and an unrelenting drive for perfection.

When the end came, it was sudden, shocking, and deeply emotional—both for him and the fans who adored his work.

Born on November 26, 1922, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Charles Monroe Schulz grew up in modest circumstances.

His father, Carl, was a barber, and his mother, Dena, was a homemaker.

The Great Depression hit his family hard, forcing them to move multiple times and leaving Schulz with a deep sense of insecurity that would later shape the melancholic undertones of Peanuts.

From an early age, Schulz showed a talent for drawing, but his childhood was far from idyllic.

He was shy, often bullied, and struggled to fit in—a feeling of exclusion that would become central to Charlie Brown’s character.

Schulz’s first taste of recognition came in 1937 when Ripley’s Believe It or Not published a drawing of his dog, Spike.

Despite this small victory, Schulz faced constant rejection.

His high school yearbook refused to publish his drawings, and his grades were abysmal.

Yet, he persevered, enrolling in a mail-order art course and later working as a grader for the same school.

His determination paid off when he pitched a comic strip idea to United Feature Syndicate in 1950.

Though they rejected his preferred title, Lil’ Folks, they agreed to publish the strip under the name Peanuts, a name Schulz hated for its lack of dignity.

The first Peanuts strip debuted on October 2, 1950, in just seven newspapers.

It featured Charlie Brown, Shermy, and Patty, setting the tone for the series’ blend of humor and quiet sadness.

Snoopy joined the cast two days later, though he initially behaved like a regular dog.

Over time, Snoopy evolved into a whimsical, upright-walking character who became a global phenomenon.

By the mid-1950s, Peanuts was appearing in hundreds of newspapers, and Schulz’s income soared.

Yet, success brought its own challenges.

Schulz’s perfectionism was legendary.

He drew every single strip himself, refusing to let assistants or ghost artists touch his work.

This tireless dedication took a toll on his health.

By the 1970s, he was hospitalized for exhaustion, and his hands developed a tremor that made drawing increasingly difficult.

Despite these struggles, Schulz continued to innovate, introducing characters like Linus, Lucy, and Franklin, the first Black character in Peanuts.

Franklin’s debut in 1968 was a bold move, coming just months after Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination.

Southern editors protested, but Schulz stood firm, refusing to erase Franklin from the strip.

By the 1980s, Peanuts had become a merchandising empire, with Snoopy dolls, greeting cards, and holiday specials generating millions.

Schulz himself was earning $30–40 million a year, making him one of the wealthiest cartoonists in history.

Yet, the pressures of fame and fortune weighed heavily on him.

He battled lawsuits from jealous cartoonists, faced criticism for alleged plagiarism, and endured the physical strain of quadruple bypass surgery in 1981.

In the 1990s, Schulz began to contemplate retirement.

Newspaper comic sections were shrinking, and syndicates pressured him to hire ghost artists or modernize the strip.

Schulz refused, insisting that Peanuts could only exist as he created it.

In 1998, he signed a contract ensuring that no one else could continue the strip after his death—a decision that shocked the industry but reinforced his commitment to authenticity.

Then came the devastating news.

On November 16, 1999, Schulz underwent emergency surgery for a blocked artery.

Doctors discovered stage three colon cancer, which had already spread.

He suffered multiple strokes, losing vision in one eye and the ability to draw.

Chemotherapy left him weak and sick, and by December, Schulz knew he could no longer continue.

On December 14, he announced his retirement during an emotional interview with Al Roker on the Today Show.

Fighting back tears, Schulz admitted, “I never dreamed that this was what would happen to me. But all of a sudden, it’s gone.”

Schulz’s final strip, published on February 13, 2000, was a farewell letter to fans.

In it, Snoopy sat at his typewriter, writing, “Dear friends,” and thanking readers for their support.

The timing was eerily poetic: Schulz passed away in his sleep the night before, making the strip both a goodbye and a posthumous gift to the world.

By the time of his death, Peanuts was published in 2,600 newspapers across 75 countries, reaching 355 million readers daily.

Despite his monumental achievements, Schulz’s legacy became complicated after his death.

In 2007, a biography by David Michaelis painted a darker picture of Schulz, describing him as depressive, distant, and even alleging an affair with a much younger woman.

Schulz’s family vehemently denied these claims, calling the book misleading and hurtful.

The controversy sparked debates about whether an artist’s personal flaws should overshadow their work.

Today, Schulz’s influence remains undeniable.

The Charles Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California, celebrates his life and art, showcasing thousands of original strips and preserving the legacy of Peanuts.

While Schulz was far from perfect, his work resonated with millions, capturing the quiet struggles and small triumphs of everyday life.

In Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the gang, Schulz gave voice to the underdogs, proving that even in failure, there is beauty and meaning.

When Schulz died, it felt like the end of an era.

His dedication to his craft, his refusal to compromise, and his ability to find humor in life’s hardships left an indelible mark on the world.

As Snoopy wrote in that final strip, “Thank you,” the sentiment goes both ways.

Thank you, Charles Schulz, for reminding us that even when life knocks us down, we can still find a reason to laugh.